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Techni:-ai  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best 
original  copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this 
copy  which  may  be  bibliographically  unique, 
which  may  alter  any  of  the  images  in  the 
reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checked  below. 


'.  n 
D 

n 

D 
D 

n 
□ 

□ 
□ 


Coloured  coven  '' 
Couverture  de  co{l*^.ur 

Covers  damaged/      T 
Couverture  endomma^se 


Covers  restored  and/or  'laminated/ 
Couverture  restaur^e  et/    j  pellicul^e 

i 

Cover  title  missing/  ^% 

Le  titre  de  couverture  manque  ^"«. 

Coloured  maps/ 

Cartes  g^ographiquss  en  couleur 


V 


n 


Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 

Coloured  plates  and/or  illustretions/ 
Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 

Bound  with  other  material/ 
Relie  avec  d'autres  documents 

Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  irtterior  margin/ 

La  reiiure  serree  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distortion  le  long  de  la  marge  int^rieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
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II  se  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  ajoutdes 
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une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  m^thode  normale  de  filmage 
sont  indiqu^s  ci-dessous. 


n 
n 

n 

0 


n 


Coloured  pages/ 
Pages  de  couleur 

Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommag^es 

Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Pages  restaurdes  et/ou  pellicul^es 

Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 
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This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  fiim^  au  taux  de  reduction  indiqu6  ci-dessous. 


10X 

14X 

18X 

22X 

26X 

»X 

J 

12X 


16X 


20X 


24X 


28X 


32X 


The  copy  filmed  here  has  been  reproduced  thanks 
to  the  generosity  of: 


Mills  Memorial  Library 
McMaster  University 


L'exemplaira  film^  fut  reproduit  grAce  d  la 
g6n6rosit6  de: 

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McMaster  University 


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Les  images  suivantes  ont  6t6  reproduites  avec  le 
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de  la  nettetd  de  I'exemplaire  film6,  et  en 
conformity  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 


Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
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sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrat)  d  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  9st  imprimde  sont  filmds  en  commenpant 
par  le  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  selon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  filmSs  en  commengant  par  la 
premidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  ^^  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED'),  or  the  symbol  V  {meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 


Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
dernidre  image  de  chaque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbole  — »-  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbole  V  signifie  "FIN". 


Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  redurtion  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  thb 
method: 


Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  dtre 
film^s  d  des  taux  de  reduction  diff6rents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  dtre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  cliche,  il  est  film6  d  partir 
de  Tangle  sup6rieur  gauche,  de  gauche  d  droite, 
at  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  n6cessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mdthode. 


1 

2 

3 

1  2  3 

4  5  6 


T 


AN 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT 


OR 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


I    AN  UNFOLDING  "^^^  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE 
HOLY  SPIRI  i'  IN  THE  OLD  AND 
NEW  TESTAMENTS 


By 
REV.  A.  B.  SIMPSON,  D.D. 


PJRT  IL     THE  NEW  TESTAMENT 


CHRISTIAN  PUBLICATIONS,  INC. 

Third  and  Reily  Streets 

Harrisburg,  Pa. 


NEW  EDITION  FROM  NEW  PLATES 
With  Foreword  by 
WALTER  M.  TURNBULL,  D.D, 


(All  rights  reserved) 


PREFACE  TO  VOLUME  II 


In  issuing  the  seconc?  volume  of  the  Holy  Spirit  or 
Power  from  on  High,  after  an  interval  of  a  year  since  the 
publication  of  the  first  volume,  the  author  is  deeply 
conscious  of  the  imperfections  of  his  work.  In  view  of 
the  vastness  and  grandeur  of  the  theme,  he  asks  the  kind 
inaulgence  of  his  readers  and  friends,  and  begs  them  to 
remember  that  these  chapters  are  the  substance  of  his 
weekly  pulpit  ministrations  amid  the  pressure  of  a  life 
of  almost  overwhelming  work  and  care. 

He  is,  however,  encouraged  by  the  numerous  letters 
that  have  come  from  those  who  havej  read  these  messages 
in  the  weekly  columns  of  the  Christian  Alliance  (now  the 
Alliance  Weekly),  to  believe  that  they  have  often  been 
bread  for  God 's  hungry  children.  He  is  reassured  by  the 
humble  consciousness  that  he  is  not  attempting  to  min- 
ister entertainment  or  instruction  for  the  wise,  the 
scholarly  and  the  critical,  but  to  provide  simple  and  sat- 
isfying bread  for  the  King's  children. 

He  need  scarcely  say  that  this  sublime  theme  has  con- 
tinually grown  upon  him  during  the  two  years  that  it 
has  been  the  subject  of  his  regular  pulpit  ministrations, 
and  that,  although  he  has  now  been  able  to  complete  the 
survey  of  the  whole  sacred  voiume  in  uiifolding  this 
theme,  he  feels,  at  the  close,  as  if  he  were  only  standing 
upon  the  shore  of  an  infinite  ocean  of  truth  and  love, 
without  a  fathoming  line  or  a  shore. 

He  would  humbly  commend  these  pages  to  the  bless- 
ing of  God  and  the  earnest  prayers  of  his  friends,  that 
this  volume  may  be  used  for  the  honor  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  and  the  deepening  of  the  interest  of  God's  people 


*  PREFACE 

in  this  great  theme  which,  happily  today,  is  occupying 
the  profoundest  attention  of  the  church  of  God,  and 
which,^  perhaps  more  than  any  other,  is  the  "present 
truth"  which  God  is  pressing  upon  the  attention  of  His 
people  in  these  last  days. 

The  first  edition  of  Volume  I  having  been  quite  ex- 
hausted, another  large  edition  is  being  rapidly  pushed 
through  the  press. 

New  York,  April  1,  1896. 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Preface  to  Volume  II   

I.     The   Holy   Spirit   in  the   Life   of  the 

Lord  Jesus  Christ   (Matthew) H 

II.     The    Baptism    with    the    Holy    Ghost 

(Matthew)    21 

III.  The  Wise  and  Foolish  Virgins   (Mat- 

thew)             29 

IV.  The  Parable  of  the  Pounds ;   or,  Power 

for  Service  (Luke)   37 

V.     The  Holy  Ghost  in  the  Gospel  of  John  49 

VI.     The  Comforter  (John) 53 

VII.     Waiting  for  the  Spirit  (Acts) 67 

VIII.    Power  from  on  High  (Acts)  77 

IX.    Filled  with  the  Spirit  (Acts)   .......  90 

X.     The  Holy  Spirit  in  the  Epistles  to  the 

Bomans    qq 

XI.     The  Holy  Spirit  in  the  First  Epistle  to 

to  the  Corinthians 1Q9 

XII.    The  Holy  Spirit  in  the  Body  of  Christ 

(1  Corinthians) ^19 

XIIL     The  Holy  Spirit  in  Second  Corinthians  126 

XIV.    The  Holy  Spirit  in  Galatians 134 

XV.    All  the  Blessings  of  the  Spirit  (Ephe- 

sians)    ^^^ 

XVI.     The  Holy  Spirit  in  Philippians  .  157 

XVII.     The  Spirit  of  Love   *  iqq 

5 


6  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

XVIII.     The  Holy  Spiiit  in  Thcssalonians  ....  175 
XIX.     The  Holy  Spirit  in  the  Epistles  of  Paul 

to  Timothy    184 

XX.     Regeneration  and  Renewal  (Titus) 195 

XXI.     The  Holy  Spirit  in  the  Epistle  to  the 

Hebrews 204 

XXII.     God's  Jealous  Love  (James)    214 

XXIII.  The  Holy  Spirit  in  the  Epistles  of  Peter  225 

XXIV.  The  Holy  Spirit  in  the  First  Epistle  of 

John   234 

XXV.     The  Holy  Spirit  in  Jude 246 

XXVI.     The  Sevenfold  Holy  Ghost  (Revelation)  257 
XXVII.     The  Spirit's  IMessage  to  the  Churches 

(Revelation)    264 

XXVIII.     The  Holy  Spirit's  Last  Message  (Rev- 
elation)      277 


PAQK 

175 

184 
195 


204 
214 
225 


234 
246 
257 

264 

277 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT 


OR 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


r,i 


PART  II. 


THE  NEW  TESTAMENT 


TI 


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say, 
Hiir 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  THE  LIFE  OP  THE  LORD 

JESUS  CHRIST. 

"I  indeed  baptize  you  with  water  unto  repentance;  but  He 
that  Cometh  after  me  is  mightier  than  1,  whose  shoes  I  am  not 
worthy  to  bear;  He  shall  baptize  you  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and 
with  fire."— Matt.  3:  11. 

THESE  words  from  the  lips  of  the  forerunner  inti- 
mate that  there  was  to  be  a  great  distinction  be- 
tween the  old  dispensation  which  he  was  closing, 
and  the  nev/,  which  Jesus  Christ  was  about  to  usher  in. 

The  distinction  was  to  be  very  marked  in  connection 
with  the  manner  and  measure  in  which  the  Holy  Ghost 
would  be  poured  out  upon  the  people  of  God  and  mani- 
fested in  connection  with  the  work  of  redemption.  The 
two  natural  emblems  of  watex'  and  fire  are  used  to  denote 
the  difference  between  the  two  dispensations. 

We  have  seen  that  the  Holj  Ghost  was  present  on 
earth  during  the  Old  Testament  age,  speaking  through 
the  prophets  and  messengers  of  God,  and  working  out 
the  divine  purpose  in  the  lives  of  God's  chosen  agents, 
and  instruments.  But  the  New  Testament  is  preemi- 
nently the  age  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  we  might,  there- 
fore, expect  that  there  would  be  a  great  and  infinite 
difference.  The  principal  difference  between  the  old 
and  new  dispensations,  with  respect  to  the  presence  and 
manifestations  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  might  be  summed  up 
in  the  following  particulars. 

1.  In  the  Old  Testament,  the  Holy  Ghost  was  given  to 
special  individuals  to  fit  them  for  special  service ;  in  the 
New  Testament,  the  promise  is  that  the  Spirit  shall  be 
poured  out  upon  all  flesh,  and  they  shall  not  need  to 
say,  one  to  another,  "Know  the  Lord,  for  all  shall  know 
Him,"  through  the  divine  unction,  ''from  the  least  to 

11 


I' 
*■- 

Si 


12 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


the  greatest."  The  universal  outpouring  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  upon  all  believers  is  the  striking  feature  of  the 
New  Testament. 

2.  The  Holy  Spirit  was  with  men  and  upon  men, 
rather  than  in  them  in  the  Old  Testament.  In  the  New 
Testament  dispensation,  the  Holy  Ghost  comes  to  dwell 
in  us  and  to  unite  us  personally  with  God,  and  to  be  in 
us,  not  only  a  Spirit  of  power  and  a  preparation  for 
service,  but  a  Spirit  of  life,  holiness,  and  fellowship  with 
the  Divine  Being.  It  is  not  the  iniluence  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  that  we  receive,  but  it  is  the  Person  of  the  Holy 
Ghost. 

3.  This  leads  us  to  the  third  distinction ;  namely,  that 
under  the  Old  Testament  dispensation,  the  Holy  Ghost 
was  not  resident  upon  earth,  but  visited  it  from  time  to 
time  as  occasion  required.  Now  the  Spirit  of  God  is 
dwelling  upon  the  earth.  This  is  His  abode.  He  resides 
in  the  hearts  of  men,  and  in  the  Church  of  Christ,  just 
as  literally  as  Jesus  resided  upon  the  earth  during  the 
thirty- three  years  of  His  incarnation  and  life  belov/. 

4.  Perhaps  the  principal  difference  was  this;  in  the 
Old  Testament  age  the  Holy  Ghost  came  rather  as  the 
Spirit  of  the  Father,  in  the  glory  and  majesty  of  the 
Deity,  while  under  the  New  Testament  He  comes  rather 
as  the  Spirit  of  the  Son,  to  represent  Jesus  to  us,  and 
to  make  Him  real  in  our  experience  and  life.  Indeed, 
the  Person  of  the  Holy  Ghost  was  not  fully  constituted 
under  the  Old  Testament.  It  was  necessary  that  He 
should  reside  for  three  and  a  half  years  in  the  heart  of 
Jesus  of  Nazareth,  and  become,  as  it  were,  humanized, 
colored,  and  brought  nearer  to  us  by  His  personal  union 
with  our  Incarnate  Lord.  Now  He  comes  to  us  as  the 
sa^ne  Spirit  that  lived,  and  loved,  and  suffered,  and 
wrought,  in  Jesus  Christ. 

In  a  sense,  our  Master  left  His  heart  behind  Him,  and 
when  the  Holy  Ghost  comes  to  dwell  within  us,  He  brings 


THE  SriRIT  IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JESUS  CHRIST 


13 


the  living  Christ  and  makes  His  person  real  to  our 
hearts. 

This  must  be  the  meaning  of  that  remarkable  passage 
in  John  7 :  37,  38,  where  Jesus  said  that  the  Spirit  in  the 
believer  should  flow  out  like  rivers  of  living  water;  then 
the  evangelist  adds,  "The  Spirit  was  not  yet;  because 
Jesus  was  not  yet  glorified."  The  Holy  Spirit,  in  the 
form  in  which  He  was  to  be  manifest  in  the  coming  age 
was  not  constituted  until  after  the  ascension  of  Jesus. 
Now ,  He  comes  to  us  as  the  Spirit  of  Christ.  Therefore 
it  is  intensely  interesting  to  us  to  look  at  the  relation  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  to  the  person  of  our  Lord  in  His  first 
baptism  and  earthly  ministry. 

This  is  our  present  theme.  May  the  Holy  Ghost  Him- 
self illuminate  and  apply  it  to  all  our  hearts ! 

I. 

Our  Lord  was  born  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  announce- 
ment by  the  angel  to  Mary  connects  the  Divine  Spirit 
directly  with  the  conception  and  incarnation  of  Christ. 
"The  Holy  Ghost  shall  come  upon  thee  and  the  power 
of  the  Highest  shall  overshadow  thee,  therefore,  that 
holy' thing  which  shall  be  born  of  thee  shall  be  called  the 
son  of  God. ' '    Luke  1 :  35. 

The  human  mind  cannot  fathom  this  m;y'stery — a  holy 
Christ  conceived  and  born  of  one  who  was  herself  the 
daughter  of  a  sinful  race.  We  cannot  believe  in  the 
immaculate  Mary,  but  we  can  believe  in  the  immaculate 
Son  of  God,  born  ot  her  without  sin. 

The  very  fact  that  she  was  an  imperfect  and  sinful 
woman  adds  to  the  glory  of  this  mystery  and  makes  it 
the  more  perfect  type  of  the  experience  through  which 
we  also  come  into  fellowship  with  our  living  Head.  For 
just  as  Jesus  was  born  of  the  Spirit,  so  we,  the  disciples 
of  Jesus,  must  also  be  born  of  the  Holy  Ghost;  for 
"except  a  man  be  boru  from  above  he  cannot  enter  the 
kingdom  of  God." 


I 
I 

■I 

;  I 


14 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


The  mystery  of  the  incarnation  is  repeated  every  time 
a  soul  is  created  anew  in  Christ  Jesus.  Into  the  unholy 
being  of  a  child  of  Adam,  a  seed  of  incorruptible  and 
eternal  life  is  implanted  by  the  divine  Spirit,  and  that 
seed  is  in  itself,  through  the  life  of  God,  holy  and  incor- 
ruptible. Just  as  you  may  see  in  the  sweet  springtime 
the  little  white,  spotless  shoot,  coming  from  the  dark 
soil  and  out  of  the  heap  of  manure,  unstained  by  all  its 
gross  surroundings,  so  out  of  our  lost  humanity  the  Holy 
Spirit  causes  to  spring  forth  the  life  of  the  new-born 
soul;  and  while  the  subject  of  that  marvelous  experience 
may  seem  an  imperfect  being,  still  ho  has  that  within 
him,  of  which  the  apostle  has  said,  "His  seed  remaineth 
in  him,  and  cannot  sin ;  because  it  is  born  of  God."  He 
can  sin,  but  that  holy  nature  implanted  in  him  cannot; 
it  is  like  its  Author,  holy,  too. 

''And  so  He  that  sanctifieth,  and  they  that  are  sancti- 
fied, are  all  of  one,  for  which  cause  He  is  not  ashamed 
to  call  them  brethren."  Like  Him  we  are  born  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  and  become  the  sons  of  God,  not  by  adoption, 
but  by  the  divine  regeneration. 

II. 

Jesus  Christ  was  baptized  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  Not 
only  did  He  derive  His  person  and  His  incarnate  life 
from  the  Holy  Ghost,  but  when  at  thirty  years  of  age 
lie  consecrated  Himself  to  His  ministry  of  life  and  suf- 
fering and  service,  and  went  down  into  the  waters  of  the 
Jordan,  in  token  of  His  self-renunciation  and  His  as- 
sumption of  death,  the  heavens  were  opened  and  the 
Holy  Ghost,  by  whom  He  had  been  born,  now  came  down 
and  personally  possessed  His  being  and  henceforth 
dwelt  within  Him. 

No  one  can  for  a  moment  deny  that  this  was  some- 
thing transcendontly  more  than  the  incarnation  of 
Christ.  Up  to  this  time  there  had  been  one  personality, 
henceforth  there  were  two;    for  the  Holy   Ghost  was 


Hi^ 


THE  SPIRIT  IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JESUS  CHRIST 


15 


added  to  the  Christ,  and  in  the  strength  of  this  indwell- 
ing Spirit,  henceforth  He  wrought  His  works,  and  spake 
His  words,  and  accomplished  His  ministry  on  earth. 

But  this  also  has  its  parallel  in  the  experience  of  the 
disciples  of  Christ.  It  is  not  enough  for  us  to  be  born  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,  we  must  also  be  baptized  with  the 
Holy  Ghost.  There  must  come  a  crisis  hour  in  the  life 
of  every  Christian  when  he,  too,  steps  down  into  the 
Jordan  of  death;  when  he  yields  his  will  to  fulfill  all 
righteousness,  like  his  Master;  when  he  voluntarily  as- 
sumes the  life  of  self-renunciation  and  service,  which 
God  has  appointed  for  him  in  His  holy  will,  and  when 
there  is  added  to  him,  as  a  divine  trust,  the  Holy  Ghost ; 
henceforth  it  is  not  one,  but  two,  and  then  these  two  are 
one. 

I  remember  the  day  when  my  daughter  walked  down 
one  aisle  of  this  building,  and  another  walked  down  the 
other  aisle,  and  they  met  at  this  altar  and  then  they 
walked  back  after  that  simple,  solemn  ceremony,  but  not 
as  they  came.  It  vas  not  one  person  now,  but  two ;  yet 
those  two  were  one,  and  she  leaned  her  weakness  upon 
his  strength  and,  assuming  his  name,  henceforth  looked 
to  him  for  all  the  needs  of  her  life. 

And  so  there  comes  a  time  when  the  believer  joins  his 
hand  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  there  is  added  to  his  new 
heart  and  his  Christian  experience  the  mighty  stupen- 
dous fact  of  God  Himself,  and  the  personal  indwelling 
of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

How  perfectly  this  is  described  in  the  two  sentences  in 
Ezekiel.  **A  new  heart  will  I  give  unto  you  and  a 
right  spirit  will  I  put  within  you."  This  is  the  new 
heart  in  us.  *  *  And  I  will  put  my  Spirit  within  you,  and 
cause  you  to  walk  in  My  statutes,  and  you  shall  keep 
My  commandments  and  do  them."  That  is  the  baptism 
with  the  Holy  Ghost.  And  so  Pete^  and  the  other  dis- 
ciples were  born  of  the  Spirit  betore  the  day  of  Pente- 


16 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


cost;  but  Jesus  promised  them  that  they  should  be 
baptized  with  the  Holy  Ghost  at  the  appointed  time,  and 
when  that  day  was  fully  come  there  was  added  to  their 
true  Christian  life  the  divine  personality,  the  infinite 
presence  and  all-sufficiency  of  God,  the  indwelling  Holy 
Ghost,  who  had  lived  and  wrought  in  Jesus  Christ. 

Beloved,  have  we  entered  into  this  experience?  Have 
we  received  the  Holv  Ghost  since  we  believed,  cr  have  we 
allowed  our  theological  traditions  and  our  pre-conceived 
ideas  to  shut  us  out  from  our  inheritance  of  blessing  and 
of  power?  Let  us  do  so  no  longer.  Let  us,  with  the 
Master,  step  down  to  Jordan,  enter  with  Him  into  death, 
rise  with  Him  in  resurrection  life  into  the  baptism  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  and  then  go  forth  in  the  fulness  of  His 
power  and  liberty,  even  as  He. 

Oh,  if  the  Son  of  God  did  not  presume  to  begin  His 
public  work  until  He  had  received  this  power  from  on 
high,  what  presumption  it  is  that  v/e  should  attempt  in 
our  own  strength  to  fulfill  the  ministry  committed  to  us 
and  be  witnesses  unto  Him! 


m. 

No  sooner  had  the  Lord  received  the  baptism  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  than  He  was  led  up  of  the  Spirit  into  the 
wilderness  to  "be  tempted  of  the  devil."  This  is  espe- 
cially emphasized  by  the  evangelist.  It  was  not  the 
devil  that  appeared  first,  but  it  was  the  Spirit.  In  the 
Gospel  of  Mark  the  language  is  still  stronger,  and  it  is 
said  that  he  was  "driven  of  the  Spirit." 

Perhaps  His  human  spirit  recoiled  from  the  awful 
ordeal  of  the  wilderness,  as  it  afterwards  shrank  from 
the  anguish  of  Gethsemane,  and  the  Holy  Ghost  pressed 
Him  forward  by  one  of  those  resistless  impulses  which 
many  of  us  have  learned  to  understand,  and  for  forty 
days  His  blessing  was  challenged ;  His  faith  was  tested ; 
His  very  rfoul  was  tried  by  all  the  assaults  of  the  ad- 
versary. 


THE  SPIRIT  IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JESUS  CHRIST 


17 


ould  be 
me,  and 
to  their 
infinite 
ig  Holy 
irist. 
?  Have 
have  we 
mceived 
ling  and 
vith  the 
0  death, 
n  of  the 
of  His 

;gin  His 
from  on 
empt  in 
ed  to  us 


1  of  the 
into  the 
is  espe- 
not  the 
In  tha 
ind  it  is 

e  awful 
nk  from 

pressed 
3s  which 
or  forty 
3  tested; 

the  ad- 


He  was  brought  into  certain  places  that  seemed  to 
contradict  all  that  He  believed,  and  to  challenge  all  that 
had  been  promised  to  Him.  The  devil  might  well  say  to 
Him,  "Art  Thou  indeed  the  Son  of  God  in  the  midst  of 
hunger,  desolation,  and  wild  beasts,  and  every  form  of 
suffering,  cast  off  and  neglected  even  by  God,  and  left 
in  destitution  and  desolation?" 

And  then,  amid  all  these  perils  and  privations,  sud- 
denly there  opened  before  Him  the  vision  of  power  and 
pleasure — the  kingdoms  of  the  world  and  all  the  glory 
of  them,  if  He  would  but  yield  a  single  point  and  accept 
the  leadership  of  the  enemy,  who  doubtless  appealed  to 
His  higher  nature  and  represented  Himself  as  an  angel 
of  light,  or  perhaps  approached  Him  through  His  own 
form,  and  all  the  visions  and  possibilities  of  power  He 
might  use  for  the  good  of  men  and  the  benefit  of  the 
world. 

These  and  other  more  subtle  insinuations  and  instiga- 
tions came  to  Him  on  every  side  and  yet,  amid  them  all, 
He  stood  unmoved  in  His  obedience  to  His  Father's  will 
and  His  reliance  upon  Tlis  Father's  word,  until  Satan 
was  driven  from  His  presence,  and  He  came  forth  more 
than  conqueror.  And  so  the  first  thing  that  we  may  look 
for,  after  the  baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  is  the  wilder- 
ness with  its  desolations  and  privations.  Circumstances 
will  surely  come  to  us,  which  seem  to  contradict  all  that 
we  have  believed,  and  to  render  impossible  the  promise 
of  God.  Even  God  will  seem  to  have  failed  us,  and  when 
all  is  dark  as  midnight,  the  vision  of  help  from  other 
sources  will  come  to  us,  and  a  thousand  voioes  will 
whisper  to  us  their  promises  of  sympathy  and  aid,  if  we 
but  yield  a  single  point  of  conscience  and  give  ourselves 
np  to  the  will  of  the  deceiver.  All  the  temptations  of 
our  Master  will  come  to  us, — ^the  lust  of  the  flesh,  the 
lust  of  the  eye,  the  pride  of  life,  the  temptation  to  take 
help  from  foi  «ien  sources,  or  perhaps  to  carry  even 
our  faith  to  the  extreme  of  fanaticism  and  presumption. 


.1 

H 

t 

t 


18 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


All  these  will  come,  but  if  the  Spirit  has  led  us  up  into 
the  wilderness  He  will  lead  us  out.  If  we  will  but  lift  our 
eyes  above  the  tempter  to  the  divine  Deliverer,  we  shall 
find  that  even  Satan  shall  be  compelled  to  become  our 
ally;  and,  more  than  conquerors,  like  our  Master,  we 
shall  take  our  enemy  prisoner  and  make  him  fight  our 
very  battles. 

Let  us  not  fear  the  conflict ;  let  us  not  shrink  from  the 
testing ;  let  us  not  count  it  strange  concerning  the  fiery 
trial  that  is  to  try  us ;  let  us  not  see  the  devil  first,  but  the 
Lord  always  above  him,  and  the  Holy  Ghost  in  the  midst 
of  our  being,  our  Victor  and  Deliverer.  "When  the 
enemy  shall  come  in  like  a  flood,  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord 
shall  lift  up  a  standard  against  Him." 

We  must  first  fight  the  battle  in  our  own  soul  that  we 
are  to  fight  in  the  world.  David  must  meet  Goliath  alone, 
before  he  can  meet  him  in  the  hosts  of  the  Philistines. 
Jesus  must  conquer  Satan  in  single  combat,  before  He 
can  go  forth  to  drive  him  out  of  hearts  and  lives.  And 
so  we,  too,  must  live  out  our  public  service  on  the  private 
arena  of  our  own  spiritual  experience,  and  then  repeat 
our  victory  in  the  victory  that  God  shall  give  us  for  the 
lives  of  others. 

Beloved,  shall  we  not  trust,  through  all  our  tests  and 
trials,  and  take  the  Holy  Ghost  as  our  Deliverer  in  the 
hour  of  temptation,  and  our  blessed  and  divine  Dis- 
cipliner,  leading  us  through  the  ordeal  of  suffering  to  the 
strength  of  victory? 

IV. 

We  next  read  that  Jesus  went  forth  in  the  power  of 
the  Spirit  from  the  wilderness  into  Galilee.  He  was  not 
weakened  but  strengthened  by  His  conflict,  and  almost 
immediately  afterward  we  find  Him  standing  in  the 
synagogue  at  Nazareth  publicy  declaring,  "The  Spirit 
of  the  Lord  is  upon  me,  because  He  hath  anointed  me 
to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  poor;   He  hath  sent  me  to 


r.i 


01 


THE  SPIRIT  IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JESUS  CHRIST 


19 


bind  up  the  broken-hoartetl,  to  preach  deliverance  to  the 
captives,  and  recovering  of  sight  to  the  blind,  to  set  at 
liberty  them  that  are  bruised,  to  preach  the  acceptable 
year  of  the  Lord."    Luke  4: 18,  19. 

Henceforth  all  Ilis  teachings,  all  His  works,  all  His 
miracles  of  power  were  attributed  direct^  to  the  Holy 
Ghost.  In  the  twelfth  cha  er  of  Matthew  and  the 
twenty-eighth  verse,  we  have  a  very  distinct  statement 
of  the  connection  of  the  Holy  Spirit  with  His  miracles 
of  power.  '*If  I  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  cast  out  demons, 
then  the  kingdom  of  God  is  come  unto  you."  That  is 
to  say,  it  is  the  Holy  Ghost  that  casts  out  demons  in  us, 
and  this  same  Holy  Ghost  is  to  remain  in  us  and  to 
perpetuate  the  kingdom  of  God  in  the  church  through  the 
dispensation. 

It  is  a  very  wonderful  truth  that  it  is  the  same  Spirit 
who  wrought  in  Christ,  that  He  has  given  to  the  church 
to  perform  her  works  of  love  and  power. 

This  was  what  the  Master  meant  when  He  said,  *'He 
that  believeth  on  Me,  the  works  that  I  do  shall  he  do 
also ;  and  greater  works  than  these  shall  he  do ;  because  I 
go  unto  the  Father."  The  Holy  Ghost  in  us  is  the  same 
Holy  Ghost  that  wrought  in  Christ.  We  yield  to  none, 
in  honor  to  th'C  Sou  of  God.  He  was  truly  the  eternal 
God,  "very  God  of  very  God."  But  when  He  came  down 
from  yonder  heights  of  glory,  he  suspended  the  direct 
operation  of  His  own  independent  power  and  became 
voluntarily  dependent  upon  the  power  of  God  through 
the  Holy  Ghost.  He  constantly  said,  **I  can  of  mine 
own  self  do  nothing."  He  purposely  took  His  place  side 
by  side  with  us,  needing  equally  with  the  humblest  dis- 
ciple the  constant  power  of  God  to  sustain  Him  in  all 
His  work.  Not  that  He  might  be  dishonored  in  His 
glory  and  majesty,  *'For  being  in  the  form  of  God  He 
thought  it  not  a  thing  to  be  grasped  to  be  equal  with 
God  but  He  emptied  Himself  and  made  Himself  of  no 
reputation,  and  took  upon  Him  the  form  of  a  servant 


I 


>  > 


20 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


And  so  He  went  through  life  in  the  position  of  de- 
pendence, that  He  might  be  our  public  example  and 
teach  us  that  we,  too,  have  the  same  secret  of  strength 
and  power  that  He  possessed,  and  that  as  surely  as  He 
overcame  through  the  Holy  Ghost,  so  may  we. 

Oh,  what  a  solemn  spectacle  it  is  to  see  the  Son  of  God 
spending  thirty  years  on  earth  without  one  single  act  of 
public  ministry  until  He  received  the  baptism  of  power 
from  on  high,  and  then  concentrating  a  whole  life-time  of 
service  into  forty-two  short  months  of  intense  activity 
and  almighty  power! 

But  He  has  left  to  us  the  same  power  which  He  pos- 
sessed. He  has  bequeathed  to  the  church  the  very  Holy 
Ghost  that  lived  and  wrought  in  Him.  Let  us  accept  this 
mighty  gift.  Let  us  believe  in  Him  and  His  all-suffici- 
ency. Let  us  receive  Him  and  give  Him  room,  and  let 
us  go  forth  to  reproduce  the  life  and  ministry  of  Jesus 
and  perpetuate  the  divine  miracles  of  our  holy  Chris- 
tianity through  the  power  of  the  blessed  Comforter. 

This  is  the  mighty  gift  of  our  ascended  Lord.  This 
is  the  supreme  need  of  the  church  of  today.  This  is  the 
especial  promise  of  the  latter  days.  God  help  us  to 
claim  it  fully  and,  in  the  power  of  the  Spirit;,  to  go  forth 
to  meet  our  coming  Lord. 


li 


CHAPTER  H. 


THE  BAPTISM  WITH  THE  HOLY  GHOST. 

''He  shall  baptize  you  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  with  fire." 
—Matt.  3:11. 


T 


HIS 


sounds  almost  like 
le  Old   Testament. 


echo  of  the  last 


," 


promise 
voice  of  "the  Mes- 
senger" IS  taken  up  by  "the  Forerunner."  "He 
is  like  a  refiner's  fire,  and  like  fullers'  soap ;  and  He  shall 
sit  as  a  refiner  and  purifier  of  silver :  and  F'O  sliall  purify 
the  sons  of  Levi,  and  purge  them  like  gold  and  silver,  that 
they  may  offer  unto  the  Lord  an  offering  in  righteous- 


)> 


ness, 

In  the  last  chapter  \vc  have  seen  the  relation  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  to  the  person  of  Christ.  First,  He  was  born 
by  the  Spirit,  then  He  was  baptized  by  the  Spirit,  and 
then  He  went  forth  to  work  out  His  life  and  ministry 
in  the  power  of  the  Spirit. 

But  "He  that  sanctifieth  and  they  that  are  sanctified 
are  all  of  one;"  so  in  like  manner  we  must  follow  in  His 
footsteps  and  re-live  His  life.  Born  like  Him  of  the 
Spirit,  we,  too,  must  be  baptized  of  tlio  Spirit,  and  then 
go  forth  to  live  His  life  and  reproduce  His  work.  And 
so  our  next  theme  is  the  baptism  of  the  Spirit  of  God 
through  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

I. 

THE  BAPTIZER. 

It  is  Christ's  province  to  baptize  with  the  Holy  Ghost. 
The  sinner  does  not  come  first  to  the  Holy  Spirit,  but 
to  Christ.  Our  first  business  is  to  receive  Jesus,  and  then 
to  receive  the  Holy  Ghost.  Therefore,  the  great  promise 
of  the  Old  Testament  is  the  coming  of  Christ,  while  the 
great  promise  of  the  New  is  the  coming  of  the  Spirit. 

21 


22 


POWER  FKOM  ON  HIGH 


IV 


JcKUs  received  the  Spirit  from  the  Father.  We  rceeive 
the  Spirit  from  Jesus.  It  is  necessary  for  us,  in  order 
that  we  may  fully  receive  the  Holy  Ohost,  that  wo  shall 
first  receive  Christ  in  His  person  as  our  Saviour  and  as 
our  indwelling  life. 

The  Father  gave  the  Spirit  to  Ilim  not  by  measure  and, 
if  He  dwells  in  us.  He  will  bring  the  Spirit  with  Iliiii, 
and  lie  shall  dwell  in  us  likewise  in  the  same  measure  in 
which  He  dwells  in  Jesus. 

Our  mere  human  hearts  are  not  fit  temples  for  the 
TToly  Ghost.  It  is  only  as  we  are  united  to  Christ  that 
we  are  prepared  and  enabled  to  receive  the  Holy  Ghost 
in  the  fullness  of  His  life  and  power.  It  is  the  Christ 
within  us,  that  still  receives  the  Holy  Ghost. 

And  so,  when  our  Master  was  about  to  leave  the  world, 
it  is  significantly  stated  that  He  breathed  upon  them, 
and  said:  "Receive  ye  the  Holy  Ghost."  The  Holy 
Spirit  came  upon  them  through  the  breath  of  Christ. 
This  significant  action  emphasized  the  fact  that  the 
Spirit  was  imparted  to  them  from  His  own  person  and 
as  His  own  very  life.  It  is  true  that  the  act  of  breath- 
ing on  them  did  not  bring  immediately  the  residence  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  into  their  hearts,  for  this  could  not 
be  until  after  the  day  of  Pentecost.  But  it  was  meant  to 
connect  it  with  Himself,  so  that  when  the  Holy  Ghost  did 
descend  and  dwell  in  them  they  would  receive  Him  as  the 
Spirit  of  Jesus,  and  as  communicated  to  them  by  the 
breath  and  the  very  kiss  of  their  departing  Master. 

As  we  have  already  seen,  the  Holy  Ghost  comes  to 
us  as  the  Spirit  of  Christ  and  even  as  His  very  heart,  the 
One  who  wrought  in  Him  His  mighty  works  and  repeats 
them  in  us. 

Would  we  receive  the  baptism  with  the  Holy  Ghost, 
let  us  receive  Jesus  in  all  His  fullness.  Let  us  draw  near 
to  His  inmost  being,  and  from  His  lips  let  us  inbreathe 
the  Spirit  of  His  mouth. 


THE  BAPTISM  WITH  THE  HOLY  GHOST 


23 


11. 


3S    to 

the 
)eats 

lost, 
■near 
lathe 


THE    BAPTISM. 

What  is  the  bnptism  imparted  to  us  by  Christ? 

Sometimes  we  hear  this  spoken  of  as  if  He  baptized  us 
with  something  diiferent  from  Himself,  some  sort  of 
an  inHuenee,  or  feeling,  or  power.  The  truth  is,  the 
Spirit  Himself  is  the  baptism.  Christ  baptizes,  and  it 
is  with  or  in  the  Spirit  that  He  baptizes  us.  There  is, 
therefore,  one  baptism  with  the  Spirit  once  for  all,  and, 
from  that  time,  the  Holy  Ghost  Himself  is  our  indwel- 
ling life. 

The  word  "baptize"  is  significant  in  this  connection. 
Literally,  it  might  be  translated  **  Baptize  you  in  the 
Holy  Ghost."  It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  say  that  the 
word  baptize  means  to  immerse,  and  carries  along  with 
it  always  the  idea  of  death  and  resurrection.  There  is 
something  very  significant  in  this  in  connection  with  the 
reception  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  It  means  that  we  are  bap- 
tized into  death,  and  raised  into  life,  and  thus  receive 
the  Spirit  from  on  high.  Just  as  Jesus  went  down  into 
the  Jordan,  which  was  the  symbol  of  death,  and  there 
received  the  Heavenly  Dove,  so  we  must  step  down  into 
the  death  of  all  our  strength  and  all  our  life,  and,  sur- 
rendering ourselves  completely  to  Him,  rise  in  newness 
of  life  with  Christ,  and  thus  receive  the  Holy  Ghost  as 
the  seal  and  source  of  that  new  life. 

The  most  important  condition  of  th'e  baptism  with  the 
Holy  Ghost  is  that  we  shall  truly  die  to  all  our  own  life, 
and  enter  into  the  meaning  of  Christ's  resurrection.  We 
must  be  completely  submerged,  not  a  hair  of  our  head 
left  in  sight;  then  when  we  cease  from  ourselves  we 
shall  enter  into  God  and  find  that  while,  in  one  sense, 
we  have  received  the  Holy  Ghost  into  us,  we  have  in  a 
far  greater  sense  been  received  into  the  Holy  Ghost, 
lie  is  too  vast  and  glorious  for  any  soul  to  exhaust  His 
fullness ;  therefore,  after  He  has  filled  and  flooded  all  our 


24 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


being,  there  is  an  overflow  as  boundless  as  the  ocean  of 
immensity,  and  we  are  still  in  that  ocean  as  the  element 
of  our  inexhaustible  life. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  say  that  the  baptism  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  is  our  union  with  the  living  personality  of 
the  Spirit.  It  is  not  an  influence.  It  is  not  a  notion, 
nor  a  feeling,  nor  a  power,  nor  a  joy,  into  which  we  are 
submerged;  but  it  is  a  heart  of  love,  a  mind  of  intelli- 
gence, a  living  being  as  real  as  Jesus  Christ  of  Nazareth, 
and  as  real  as  our  own  personality. 

in. 

THE  SYMBOL  OF  THIS  BAPTISM,  FIRE. 

**He  shall  baptize  you  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  with 
fire. ' '  This  does  not  mean  that  the  Holy  Ghost  and  fire 
are  different,  or  that  the  baptism  of  fire  is  something 
distinct  from  that  of  the  Spirit,  but  simi"\y  that  the 
figure  of  fire  expresses  more  fully  the  intensity  and 
power  of  this  divine  baptism.  It  means  that  the  soul 
that  is  truly  baptized  with  God  is  a  soul  on  lire.  Fire  is 
the  most  forceful  and  suggestive  of  natural  elements,  and 
seems  made  especially  to  symbolize  the  Holy  Ghost. 

1.  It  is  a  penetrating  element.  It  goes  to  the  very 
fibre  and  heart  of  things,  and  is  internal  and  intrinsic  in 
its  action.  And  so  the  Holy  Ghost ' '  pierces  to  the  divid- 
ing asunder  of  soul  and  spirit,  and  of  the  joints  and 
marrow,  and  is  a  Discerner  of  the  thoughts  and  intents 
of  the  heart."  He  searches  our  inmost  being,  and  re- 
quires and  produces  "truth  in  the  hidden  part." 

2.  Fire  is  a  purifying  element.  It  separates  the  dross 
from  the  gold.  It  bums  up  the  stubble  and  purges  the 
vessel  from  all  defilement.  It  is  the  type  of  the  cleansing, 
sanctifying  Spirit  of  God,  who  alone  can  purify  our  sin- 
ful and  polluted  souls  and  burn  up  the  dross  of  sin. 

3.  Fire  is  a  consuming  element.  It  is  the  most  de- 
structive of  forces;  so  the  Holy  Ghost  comes  to  destroy 
all  that  is  destructible,  to  consume  all  that  is  corruptible, 


THE  BAPTISM  WITH  THE  HOLY  GHOST 


25 


ross 

the 

3ing, 

sin- 

n. 

de- 
troy 
ible, 


and  to  burn  out  all  that  is  combustible.  God  wants  a 
people  that  have  been  so  burned  out,  that  when  the  test- 
ing fires  of  the  great  final  day  shall  come  there  shall  be 
nothing  left  to  consume.  It  is  not  only  the  sinful  but 
the  earthly,  the  natural,  the  self-bound  life,  that  the 
Spirit  comes  to  wither,  until  there  is  nothing  left  but  the 
divine  and  everlasting.  "The  grass  withereth  and  the 
flower  fadeth;  because  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  bloweth 
upon  it.'*  Do  we  not  want  this  blessed  fire?  Shall  we 
not  welcome  this  blessed  flame?  Are  we  not  weary  of 
the  things  that  wither  and  decay,  and  do  we  not  desire 
the  life  that  cannot  pass  away;  the  loves  and  friend- 
ships that  shall  never  say  good-bye,  and  the  treasures  that 
shall  meet  us  in  the  sky? 

4.  Fire  is  a  refining  element.  And  so  the  Holy  Ghost 
is  the  great  Refiner.  He  comes,  not  only  to  cleanse,  but 
to  improve,  to  elevate,  to  mature,  to  beautify  and  glorify 
the  soul,  and  fit  our  heavenly  robes  for  the  marriage  of 
the  Lamb.  "H^  shall  sit  as  a  Refiner  and  Purifier  of 
silver."  There  is  an  instantaneous  and  there  is  a  grad- 
ual work  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  There  is  an  act  by  which 
He  baptizes  us  into  Himself  forever.  And  there  is  a 
process  in  which  He  sits  down  beside  the  crucible,  and 
watches  the  molten  silver  until  it  perfectly  reflects  His 
image,  and  then  He  removes  the  fire  and  declares  the 
work  complete.  He  comes  not  only  to  give  us  love,  but 
all  the  gentleness  of  love;  not  only  long-suffering,  but 
also  **all  long-suffering  with  joyfulness;"  not  only  ''the 
things  that  are  pure,  and  true,  and  honest,"  but  also  the 
"things  that  are  lovely  and  of  good  report."  Let  us 
welcome  the  refining  fire.  Let  us  invite  Him  to  sit  down 
in  our  willing  hearts,  and  finish  His  glorious  work,  until 
we  are  "all  glorious  within,"  our  clothing  of  wrought 
gold,  and  our  raiments  "white  and  lustrous"  for  the 
Marriage  Feast. 

5.  Fire  is  a  necessary  element  in  preparing  almost 
every  article  of  food  for  our  nourishment.    We  cannot 


26 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


|i 
It'- 


live  on  raw  wheat  nor  uncooked  meat.  It  must  pass 
through  the  process  of  fire  to  be  wholesome  and  nourish- 
ing; so  the  Holy  Ghost  prepares  the  Word  of  God  for 
our  spiritual  subsistence.  A  great  many  people  live  on 
raw  and  cold  theology.  It  is  little  wonder  that  they 
are  si)iritual  invalids  and  suffer  terribly  from  bad  diges- 
tion. A  little  truth,  thoroughly  prepared  and  presented 
to  us  by  the  loving  hands  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  is  worth 
volumes  of  dry  theolog}'-  and  learned  exegesis. 

The  passover  must  not  be  eaten  ''raw  or  sodden,"  but 
it  must  be  roasted  in  the  fire  and  properly  prepared. 
The  Holy  Ghost  is  as  necessary  as  the  blood  of  Christ  and 
the  word  of  truth.  He  is  a  very  foolish  preacher  who 
tries  to  preach  without  Him,  and  a  very  foolish  Christian 
who  expects  to  find  the  truth  and  the  power  of  God 
without  His  blessed  anointing  and  constant  illumination. 

6.  Fire  is  a  quickening  element.  And  so  the  Holy 
Ghost  is  the  source  of  life.  What  is  it  makes  the  spring, 
the  flov/ers,  and  the  swarming  life  of  the  insect  world? 
It  is  the  warmth  of  spring,  it  is  the  fire  of  yonder  sun. 
And  so  the  Holy  Ghost  quickens  our  whole  spiritual  be- 
ing into  vitality.  Like  the  mother  bird,  whose  warm 
bosom  incubates  the  germs  of  life  that  she  has  dropped 
into  her  nest,  so  the  Spirit  of  God  vitalizes  all  our  being, 
and  quickens  into  life  and  blessing  seeds  that  lay  dor- 
mant, perhaps,  for  years.  He  quickens  our  spiritual  life ; 
He  quiclcens  our  intellectual  life;  He  quickens  our 
physical  life,  and  is  the  source  of  healing  and  strength. 

7.  The  Holy  Spirit,  like  fire,  melts  the  rigid  heart  and 
moulds  it  into  the  forms  of  God's  holy  will,  and  highest 
purpose.  Without  the  Holy  Ghost  we  are  set  in  our  own 
ideas,  plans,  and  thoughts ;  but  the  soul  that  is  filled  with 
the  Holy  Ghost  is  adjustable,  both  to  God  and  to  man. 
The  easiest  people  to  get  along  with  are  those  most  filled 
with  God. 

The  Spirit  is  a  great  lubricator  and  mellower,  and  He 
keeps  us  adjusted  to  the  will  of  God,  and  to  the  provi- 


THE  BAPTISM  WITH  THE  HOLY  GHOST 


27 


I 


dences  of  life  as  they  meet  us,  day  by  day,  in  God's 
perfect  order  of  place  and  time. 

8.  Fire  is  the  great  energizer  and  source  of  power. 
It  is  the  real  secret  of  the  electric  current  and  the  throb- 
bing piston  of  yonder  engine.  And  so  the  Holy  Ghost  is 
the  source  of  all  spiritual  power.  He  and  He  alone  can 
give  effectiveness  to  our  lives,  and  make  us  tell  for  God 
and  humanity,  and  the  great  purpose  of  our  existence. 
We  need  His  power  in  every  department  of  life.  He  is 
not  only  for  the  pulpit,  but  for  every  walk  of  life.  The 
Holy  Ghost  will  give  power  to  all  who  will  receive  it, 
to  make  life  effective  and  to  make  us  accomplish  the 
purpose  of  our  being. 

The  Old  Testament  age  was  a  life  of  effort,  struggle, 
and  human  endeavor.  It  was  man 's  best  with  God 's  help ; 
but  God  is  through  with  that  forever.  God  is  not  now 
trying  to  get  people  to  do  as  well  as  they  can,  but  He  is 
offering  to  undertake  Himself  the  whole  responsibility 
of  their  life  and  work,  to  enter  and  possess  their  hearts, 
and  to  be  their  all-sufficiency.  And  so  we  are  without 
excuse  if  we  fail  through  our  own  imperfection  and  in- 
ability. God  is  not  blaming  us  for  what  we  do  not  do, 
but  for  what  we  do  not  let  Him  enable  us  to  do. 

"Ye  shall  receive  power  after  that  the  Holy  Ghost  is 
come  upon  you;"  and  we  "can  do  all  things  through 
Christ  who  is  our  strength. ' ' 

9.  Fire  warms,  and  so  the  Holy  Ghost  is  the  source 
of  love,  zeal,  and  holy  earnestness.  He  sets  souls  on  fire 
for  God,  and  duty,  and  humanity.  .  He  makes  us  all  aglow 
with  divine  enthusiasm.  An  ordinary  mind  will  accom- 
plish more  than  a  brilliant  one,  if  it  is  alive  with  holy 
earnestness. 

We  are  living  in  an  earnest  age.  All  the  forces  of 
human  intelligence  are  intensely  alive.  Be  in  earnest. 
The  world  is  in  earnest.  Satan  is  in  earnest.  God  is  in 
earnest.  Kedemption  is  an  earnest  business  and  cost  its 
Author  every  drop  of  His  crimson  blood.     The  Holy 


28 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


Ghost  is  intensely  in  earnest.  Everything  in  heaven  and 
earth  and  hell  is  in  earnest  but  man.  It  is  an  awful 
thing  for  a  Christian,  redeemed  by  the  blood  of  Christ, 
and  destined  to  an  eternal  future  of  weal  or  woe,  to  be 
frivolous  or  trifling.  0,  friend,  think,  if  that  day  you  are 
wasting  were  to  be  cut  off  the  end  of  your  life,  instead 
of  the  middle,  how  quickly  you  would  awaken  and  tremble 
at  the  thought  of  trifling !  If  every  hour  you  waste  were 
deducted  from  the  sum  of  your  life  at  the  close,  how 
frightful  the  sacrifice  would  seem !  And  yet  it  is  even  so. 
God  help  us  to  be  intensly  aroused  to  life's  solemn 
meaning ! 

Now,  the  Holy  Ghost  will  make  us  earnest.  Indeed, 
one  of  His  own  names  is  this,  **The  Earnest  of  our  in- 
heritance until  the  redemption  of  the  purchased  pos- 
session." The  earnest  means  the  reality.  The  Holy 
Ghost  is  the  reality  of  things,  and  He  makes  us  real  and 
earnest,  too. 

10.  Finally,  fire  is  a  protective  element.  The  eastern 
shepherd  surrounds  his  fold  by  night  with  a  little  wall 
of  fire,  as  he  heaps  up  the  dry  wood  of  the  desert  in  a 
circle  around  his  flock,  and  the  wild  beasts  fear  to  come 
within  the  fiery  wall.  So  God  says,  *  *  I  will  be  unto  her  a 
wall  of  fire  round  about,  and  will  be  the  glory  in  the 
midst  of  her." 

The  Holy  Ghost  defends  us  from  the  power  of  evil. 
A  heart  on  fire  with  God  throws  off  a  thousand  temp- 
tations. An  electric  wire,  charged  with  the  fiery  current, 
is  as  mighty  as  a  battery  of  artillery.  A  hot  stove  cover 
throws  off  the  water  that  vainly  tries  to  rest  upon  it. 
So  a  heart  filled  with  the  Spirit  of  God  is  proof  against 
temptation,  sin,  sorrow,  and  even  disease. 

Oh,  let  us  be  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  we  shall 
carry  a  charmed  life  and  be  preserved  from  all  the 
powers  of  earth  and  hell  I 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  WISE  AND  FOOLISH  VIRGINS;   OR,  THE 

HOLY  SPIRIT  AND  THE  COMING 

OF  THE  LORD. 

**Then  shall  the  kingdom  of  heaven  be  likOuea  unto  ten  virgins, 
which  took  their  lamps,  and  went  forth  to  meet  the  bridegroom. 

"And  five  of  them  were  wise,  and  five  were  foolish. 

"They  that  were  foolish  took  their  lamps,  and  took  no  oil 
with  them: 

"But  the  wise  took  oil  in  their  vessels  with  their  lamps.*'— 
Matt.  25:  1-4. 

THE  Gospel  of  Matthew  is  the  Gospel  of  the  King, 
and  its  latest  chapters  are  full  of  the  Master 's  teach- 
ings about  His  coming.    The  parable  of  the  virgins 
is  a  picture  of  the  attitude  of  the  church  at  the  coming 
of  the  Lord,  and  the  necessity  of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  order 
to  prepare  us  for  that  great  event. 

The  ten  virgins,  like  the  ten  servants  in  the  parable 
of  the  pounds,  represent  the  whole  church.  The  church 
is  often  represented  in  the  Scriptures  under  the  figure 
of  a  woman.  It  is  an  unnecessary  and  irrelevant  strain 
to  try  to  make  a  distinction  between  the  virgins  and  the 
bride,  and  assume  that  the  bride  is  somewhere  in  the 
background  of  the  parable,  and  in  a  still  higher  place 
than  the  wise  virgins.  If  that  were  so,  it  is  strange  that 
the  Lord  makes  no  reference  to  so  important  a  part  of 
the  dramatis  personam  in  any  of  these  closing  discourses. 
The  truth  is,  that  which  is  elsewhere  represented  by  the 
bride  is  here  represented  by  the  virgins.  Sometimes  the 
church  is  called  a  bride,  sometimes  a  building,  sometimes 
a  body,  sometimes  disciples,  servants,  virgins;  but  it  is 
always  the  same  church,  and  all  that  is  necessary  in  the 
interpretation  is  to  simply  work  out  the  figure  used  in 
each  case,  consistently  with  itself,  and  not  to  drag  in 
every  other  feature  and  accompaniment  which  a  lively 

29 


30 


POWER  FROM   ON  HIGH 


fancy  may  suj?gest.  As  well  iniglit  \vc  try  to  work  out 
an  hypothesis  for  the  mother  in  the  parable  of  the  prod- 
igal son,  or  to  find  a  meaning  for  all  the  figures  intro- 
duced in  the  necessary  drapery  of  any  of  the  parables. 
The  Great  Teacher  has  one  object  in  view  in  this  great 
parable — ^to  show  the  need  of  special  preparation  for 
the  Lord's  coming,  and  we  only  confuse  the  mind,  and 
detract  from  the  simple  object  of  the  lesson  when  wo 
try  to  bring  in  a  whole  system  of  theology. 


THE    POINTS    OP    RESEMBLANCE    BETWEEN    THE    WISE    AND 

FOOLISH  VIRGINS. 

1.  They  were  both  virgins.  They  were  both  separated 
and  pure.  It  is  possible  to  have  a  blameless  character, 
to  have  come  out  from  the  world  and  to  be  faultlessly 
right,  moral,  and  correct  in  our  life,  and  yet  be  devoid 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  unprepared  for  the  Lord's  return. 

2.  Both  were  looking  for  the  coming  of  the  bridegroom. 
They  had  all  gone  out  with  this  one  object  and  were 
definitely  expecting  and  preparing  for  him.  And  so  we 
may  fully  believe  in  the  doctrine  of  the  Lord's  return, 
may  be  deeply  interested  in  it,  may  be  personally  de- 
siring and  expecting  it,  and  yet  may  be,  if  we  are  without 
the  Holy  Ghost,  unprepared  for  it,  and  be  found  among 
the  foolish  viria^ia;  at  the  last. 

3.  They  both  Jumbered  and  slept."  The  Greek  word 
for  slumhered  literally  means  nodded.  It  vividly  de- 
scribes the  drowsiness  that  gradually  creeps  over  one, 
until,  at  last,  unwillingly  and  almost  unconsciously,  he 
falls  asleep.  It  implies  that,  even  at  the  very  best,  the 
people  of  God  are  more  than  half  asleep.  And  yet  it  is 
a  very  different  thing  to  doze  with  the  oil  in  your  vessels, 
than  to  fall  asleep  utterly  unprepared  for  your  Master's 
appearing. 

4.  Both  were  called  just  before  the  Bridegroom  came. 


THE  WISE  AND  FOOLISH  VIBGINS 


31 


sels, 
er's 


How  gracious  it  was  of  the  Master  to  send  word  to  the 
sleeping  virgins!  He  has  promised  us  that  "that  day 
shall  not  overtake  us  as  a  thief."  And  even  the  foolish 
virgins  were  awakened  at  the  last  moment,  and  were 
aware  of  the  Master's  near  approach.  But,  alas!  it  did 
not  avail  them  now ;  it  was  too  late  to  obtain  the  oil  and 
prepare  their  dying  lamps  for  the  glorious  procession 
that  welcomed  their  King's  return. 

There  was  much,  very  much,  in  their  favor.  Just  one 
thing  they  lacked.  But  it  was  enough  to  prevent  their 
entering  in.  God  help  us  all  to  make  sure  of  **that  one 
thing  needful!" 

n. 

THE  DIFFERENCE. 

What  then  was  the  difference  between  these  two 
classes  of  virgins  ?  What  was  the  secret  of  failure  on  the 
part  of  the  foolish  ones? 

1.  Five  were  wise  and  five  were  foolish.  It  is  not 
enough  for  us  to  be  earnest  and  well  meaning.  God 
expects  us  also  to  be  intelligent,  instructed,  and  wise. 
"Be  ye  not  unwise,  but  understanding  what  the  will  of 
the  Lord  is."  "See  that  ye  walk  circumspectly,  not  as 
fools,  but  as  wise,  redeeming  the  time,  because  the  days 
are  evil." 

It  will  be  no  excuse  for  us  in  the  day  of  His  coming 
that  we  did  not  know  what  He  expected  of  us.  lie  has 
given  us  full  instructions,  and  to  neglect  His  word  is 
evidence  of  guilty  and  careless  disobedience. 

How  many  are  defaulting  in  their  life  and  service 
because  they  do  not  even  understand  the  truth  about 
their  Master's  coming,  and  the  Bible  is  to  them  a  sealed 
book !    God  make  us  wise ! 

2.  The  foolish  virgins  were  impulsive,  shallow,  enthusi- 
astic, and  lacking  in  real  solid  and  lasting  qualities.  This 
is  indicated  by  the  simple  statement  that  the  first  thing 
that  the  foolish  virgins  thought  about  was  their  lamps, 


32 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


and  the  first  thing  that  the  wise  thought  about  was  their 
vessels  and  the  oil  that  filled  them. 

The  one  looked  at  the  transient  flame ;  the  other  at  the 
abiding  souree  of  life  and  light.  The  one  represents  the 
present  people;  the  other  the  permanent  people  with 
whom  we  are  always  coming  in  contact. 

John  Bunyan  expresses  the  difference  by  his  two  char- 
acters of  Passion  and  Patience.  The  one  wanted  every- 
thing now ;  the  other  wanted  that  which  he  would  have 
at  the  end. 

3.  But  the  supreme  difference  between  the  wise  and 
foolish  virgins  was  the  fact  that  the  foolish  virgins  took 
their  lamps  only,  and  the  others  took  the  oil  in  their 
vessels.  This,  we  need  hardly  say,  expresses  these  two 
great  facts  and  experiences ;  namely,  a  Christian  life  and 
the  baptism  with  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  burning  lamp 
represents  the  spiritual  life  which  has  been  kindled  by 
the  Holy  Ghost;  the  oil  in  the  vessels  with  the  lamps 
represents  the  Holy  Ghost  Himself,  personally  received 
in  the  consecrated  heart. 

There  is  an  infinite  difference  between  these  two  facts. 
The  apostles  before  Pentecost  and  the  apostles  after 
Pentecost  represent  this  difference. 

The  vessel,  of  course,  is  our  personality — spirit,  soul, 
and  body;  the  oil  is  the  Holy  Ghost  who  comes  to  the 
yielded  and  obedient  heart  to  control  it,  and  fill  it  with 
the  fullness  of  God.  This  is  the  true  preparation  for  a 
life  of  holiness  and  for  the  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ. 

With  this  we  are  ready  to  meet  Him  when  He  ap- 
pears, and  although  we  may  have  but  a  few"  moments  to 
prepare,  and  may  even  nod  and  sleep  at  times,  we  have 
the  secret  of  the  Lord  within  us,  and  *  *  we  shall  be  found 
of  Him  in  peace." 

This  is  the  great  question  which  God  is  pressing  upon 
His  church  to-day.  "Have  ye  received  the  Holy  Ghost 
since  ye  believed  ? ' '    This  is  the  great  mark  of  distinction 


ipon 
[host 
kion 


THE  WISE  AND  FOOLISH   VITfGINS 


33 


between  Christians  and  Christians.  Beloved,  let  us  make 
no  mistake,  but  let  us  be  filled  with  the  Spirit  and  so 
"give   all  diligence   to  make   our  calling  and  election 


sure. 


>  > 


nz. 

THE   EFFECTS    UPON    BOTH    CLASSES. 

1.  The  wise  virgins  were  ready,  and  after  a  few  mo- 
ments of  immediate  preparation  were  received  to  the 
marriage  feast  and  the  joy  of  their  Lord. 

2.  The  foolish  virgins  woke  to  find  their  lamps  expir- 
ing. "Give  us  of  your  oil,"  they  cried,  "for  our  lamps 
are  going  out."  They  were  not  able  to  supply  their 
lamps  from  the  vessels  of  the  wise.  These  needed  all  the 
oil  they  had  for  the  great  occasion  which  had  come,  and 
there  was  none  to  spare  for  the  lamps  of  the  other  vir- 
gins. 

It  is  true  that  the  Holy  Ghost  is  indivisible,  and  we 
cannot  give  part  of  our  blessing  to  another.  If  we  have 
Him,  we  have  Him  personally  and  He  cannot  be  sepa- 
rated into  parts.  We  need  all  His  fullness  for  our  own 
preparation.  We  may  lead  others  to  Him  and  help  them 
to  receive  Him,  but  they  must  take  Him  for  themselves. 

3.  We  may  receive  even  this  blessing  too  late. 

It  would  seem  to  be  implied  that  the  Holy  Spirit 
might  still  be  secured,  even  at  the  very  moment  of  the 
Lord's  return,  but  "while  they  went  to  buy,  the  bride- 
groom came,  and  they  that  were  ready  went  in,  and  the 
door  was  shut. ' ' 

There  will  be,  doubtless,  many  spiritual  blessings 
poured  out  upon  the  world  immediately  after  the  Pa- 
rousia  of  our  blessed  Master,  and  the  translation  of  His 
waiting  Bride;  but  it  will  be  too  late  to  enter  into  the 
joys  of  the  marriage,  and  escape  the  sorrows  of  the 
great  tribulation. 

Time  is  one  of  the  factors  in  every  great  question,  and 
it  is  not  only  well  for  us  to  obey  God's  call,  but  it  is 


% 


34 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


essential  to  obey  it  promptly.  The  very  essence  of  obedi- 
ence is,  "redeeming  the  time" — the  very  point  of  time — 
** because  the  days  are  evil." 

0  beloved,  let  us  not  lose  a  moment  before  we  receive 
the  baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost!  There  is  not  an  hour 
to  spare.  We  are  in  solemn  days,  and  we  are  neither 
ready  to  live  nor  to  die,  nor  to  meet  our  coming  Lord, 
without  the  Holy  Ghost. 

There  is  something  very  suggestive  in  this  figure  of 
buying.  The  traders  in  this  case  do  not  represent  any 
body  of  men  who  can  sell  us  the  Holy  Ghost;  they 
simply  represent  the  divine  sources  from  which  we  re- 
ceive Him,  the  divine  method  which  God  has  provided. 
There  is  a  sense  in  which  we  buy  Him  by  making  Him 
our  OAvn.  When  we  buy  a  thing,  it  becomes  our  own 
property,  and  so  we  may  receive  the  Holy  Ghost  for 
ourselves  and  claim  Him  as  our  very  own. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  parable  the  beautiful  original 
expresses  the  idea  very  strongly.  *  *  They  took  their  own 
lamps,  and  went  forth  to  meet  the  bridegroom." 

There  is  another  sense,  also,  in  which  we  buy.  We 
must  give  up  something.  We  must  let  something  go, 
before  we  can  receive  the  Holy  Ghost.  Indeed,  we  must 
let  all  go  and  then  receive  Him  in  His  fullness. 

A  few  weeks  ago,  as  we  were  passing  out  of  a  large 
meeting,  a  sobbing  girl  was  sitting  near  the  aisle,  and 
asked  us  to  pray  with  her.  Her  heart  was  very  heavy. 
She  had  come  to  the  Gethsemane  of  life ;  she  was  letting 
go  everything,  and  some  of  the  things  were  very  dear; 
but  she  was  true  to  God  and  obedient  to  the  heavenly 
calling. 

Less  than  a  week  afterwards,  we  were  passing  away 
from  that  place,  and  a  friend  came  up  to  greet  us  and 
say  good-bye.  It  was  the  same  face,  but  we  scarcely 
knew  her,  it  was  so  transfigured.  The  light  of  heaven  was 
shining  in  her  beautiful  countenanee,  and  the  joy  and 
glory  of  the  Lord  had  lighted  up  all  her  face.    The  sae- 


)bedi- 
me— - 

iceive 

hour 

dther 

Lord, 

re  of 

i  any 

they 

'e  re- 

ided. 

Him 

own 

t  for 

ginal 
own 

We 
go, 
must 

arge 
and 
avy. 
ting 
ear; 
enly 

way 
and 
cely 
was 
and 


THE  WISE  AND  FOOLISH  VIRGINS 


36 

she 


rifice  was  past ;  the  resurrection  morning  had  come ; 
had  let  all  go,  and  she  had  received  Ilim. 

There  is  still  another  sense  in  which  we  buy  this  great 
blessing.  Christ  has  purchased  it  for  us,  and  He  says  to 
us,  ''Come  ye,  buy  and  eat!  yea,  come,  buy  wine  and 
milk  without  money,  and  without  price."  The  Holy 
Ghost  is  the  purchased  privilege  of  every  believer.  Be- 
loved, come  and  receive  Him,  and  receive  Him  at  once, 
that  you  may  be  prepared  for  the  trusts  of  life  and  the 
great  Parousia. 

4.  The  foolish  virgins  were  excluded  from  the  mar- 
riage of  the  Lamb.  All  that  this  means  we  dare  not  at- 
tempt to  explain.  That  it  does  mean  a  difference,  a 
mighty  difference  between  the  two  classes  of  Christians, 
there  can  be  no  doubt,  and  that  there  shall  be  such  a 
difference  between  those  who  shall  meet  the  Master  with 
joy,  and  those  who  meet  Him  with  grief ;  between  those 
who  have  confidence,  and  those  who  shall  be  ashamed 
before  Him  at  His  coming,  the  Bible  leaves  us  no  room 
to  doubt. 

Just  what  will  be  the  peculiar  privilege  of  those  who 
enter  in,  and  the  severest  loss  of  those  who  are  excluded, 
it  is  presumptuous  to  attempt  to  define  in  detail;  but 
it  will  be  loss  enough,  sorrow  enough,  to  be  shut  out  of 
anything  which  our  Master  had  for  us ;  and  the  soul  that 
is  willing  just  to  be  saved  and  forego  its  crown  and  a 
place  in  the  bosom  of  the  Lord,  is  too  ignoble  almost  to 
be  saved.  God  write  upon  our  hearts  the  solemn  em- 
phasis of  that  awful  sentence,  *  *  the  door  was  shut ! ' ' 

5.  But  there  was  still  a  more  solemn  word,  *'I  know 
you  not. ' '  They  came,  they  came  perhaps  with  oil.  They 
knocked ;  they  begged  for  entrance,  but  He  from  within 
only  answered,  "I  know  you  not." 

This,  as  has  been  shown  by  Dean  Alford,  is  very  dif- 
ferent from  the  more  terrible  sentence  addressed  to 
others,  "I  never  knew  you."  It  is  simply  an  intimation 
that  they  are  not  in  the  circle  of  His  intimate  personal 


86 


rOWER  FnOM  ON   HIGH 


friendship.  lie  does  not  exclude  them  from  salvation, 
but  He  excludes  them  from  the  phice  of  the  Bride,  and 
the  innermost  center  of  Ilis  communion  and  love. 

Beloved,  what  constitutes  a  bride?  It  is  not  wedding 
robes  nor  dowry  nor  surroundings.  It  is  the  heart  of  love 
that  knows  her  bridegroom  and  responds  to  his  affec- 
tion. It  is  an  interior  preparation,  and  this  is  the  prep- 
aration which  the  Holy  Ghost  is  offering  to-day  to  the 
children  of  God. 

He  is  calling  out  a  Bride  for  the  Lamb.  Il-e  is  saying 
to  many  a  hesitating  heart,  "Hearken,  O  daughter,  and 
consider;  forget  also  thy  kindredj  ajnd  thy  father's 
house ;  so  shall  the  King  greatly  desire  thy  beauty ;  for 
He  is  thy  Lord,  and  worship  thou  Him." 

The  Holy  Ghost  is  bringing  those  who  are  willing  into 
a  closer  fellowship  with  Jesus,  and  giving  them  such  an 
acquaintance  with  Him  that  in  that  day  no  bolts,  nor 
bars,  nor  closed  doors  can  keep  them  from  the  bosom  of 
their  Lord.  They  know  Him  and  are  known  of  Him; 
when  He  appears,  His  loving  smile  will  recognize  them 
and  the  magnetic  attraction  of  His  presence  will  draw 
them  in  a  moment  to  His  heart  and  His  throne. 

May  God  make  us  willing  to  receive  this  blessed  prep- 
aration that  we  may  be  found  ready  at  His  coming  I 


I  i 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  PARABLE  OF  THE  POUNDS;    OR,  POWER 

FOR  SERVICE. 

'  *  Occupy  till  I  come. '  '—Luke   19 :  13. 

ARCIIELAUS,  the  son  of  Herod,  went  to  Rome  to 
secure,  by  influence  at  the  court  of  tlio  Emperor, 
the  kingdom  of  Judea,  and  then  returned  to  en- 
joy his  patrimony.  Christ  used  this  familiar  ilhistration 
to  represent  His  return  to  the  Father  to  receive  the 
Kingdom,  and  then  to  return  to  enjoy  it  with  His  fol- 
lowers during  the  millennial  age.  This  is  the  frame- 
work of  the  parable  of  the  pounds. 

The  special  theme  of  the  parable,  however,  is  the  trust 
committed  to  His  disciples  during  His  absence,  and  the 
resources  given  them  to  enable  them  to  fulfill  their  trust. 

While  the  Master  is  representing  us  and  caring  for 
our  interests  at  God's  right  hand,  we  are  left  here  to 
carry  on  His  work  and  to  represent  the  interests  of  His 
Kingdom;  to  enable  us  to  fulfill  this  ministry  He  gives 
us  the  necessary  resources. 

These  are  illustrated  by  the  pound,  or  mhia,  given  to 
each  of  the  ten  persons.  This  was  a  little  sum  of  money 
v/orth  about  fifteen  dollars.  It  represents  the  resources 
which  God  gives  to  His  servants  for  their  work.  What 
are  these  resources  as  represented  by  the  pounds? 

In  answering  this  question  it  is  necessary  to  remember 
the  difference  between  the  parable  of  the  pounds  and  the 
talents.  In  the  case  of  the  latter,  there  was  a  difference 
in  the  enduement  and  endowment  of  the  servants.  They 
had  different  talents.  In  the  case  of  the  pound,  they  had 
an  equal  allowance.  They  cannot  tht3refore  mean  the 
same  thing. 

87 


I 


38 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


If  the  talents  represent  our  natural  gifts  of  wealth, 
social  influence,  or  personal  intelligence  and  capacity, 
then  the  pound  must  represent  the  special  enduement 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  given  to  the  people  of  God  and  the 
servants  of  Christ  to  equip  them  for  their  work. 

We  are  taught  most  distinctly  that  spiritual  service 
must  come  from  spiritual  enabling.  "No  man  can  say 
that  Jesus  Christ  is  Lord  except  by  the  Holy  Ghost." 
No  man  can  render  any  acceptable  service  to  God  through 
natural  talent  or  fleshly  energy.  The  apostles  were  com- 
manded "to  wait  for  the  promise  of  the  Father,"  and 
were  to  "receive  power  after  that  the  Holy  Ghost  had 
come  upon  them, ' '  and  then  to  be  witnesses  unto  Christ, 
in  the  power  of  God. 

There  is  but  one  divine  enabling  for  service,  and  that 
is  the  enabling  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  There  was  but  one 
pound  given  to  each  of  the  servants,  and  it  is  the  one 
promise  to  every  true  servant  of  Christ — "Ye  shall  be 
baptized  with  the  Holy  Ghost." 

The  same  amount  was  given  to  each  of  the  servants, 
and  the  same  Holy  Ghost  is  given  to  all  who  will  re- 
ceive Him.  We  do  not  receive  a  part  of  His  Person  or 
power,  but  we  receive  Him  personally,  and  have  as  much 
of  His  life  and  strength  as  we  are  able  to  take.  The  Holy 
Ghost  is  one  and  indivisible,  and  there  is  no  partiality 
whatever  in  the  opportunity  which  God  gives  to  every 
one  of  His  consecrated  children  to  serve  and  glorify  Him. 

The  talents  may  be  quite  different.  One  may  be  ob- 
scure, while  another  may  be  in  the  blaze  of  publicity; 
but  the  same  power  is  given  to  each  one,  and  the  same 
glory  will  redound  to  God  through  each,  no  matter  how 
different  they  appear  in  the  judgment  of  the  world. 

This  blessed  pound  is  given  to  every  one  of  His  serv- 
ants. The  Holy  Ghost  is  purchased  for  all  who  belong 
to  Christ  and  will  yield  their  lives  in  surrender  and 
obedience  to  the  divine  Spirit.  The  Apostle  has  given  us 
the  simple  condition  when  He  says,  "The  Holy  Ghost 


THE  PARABLE  OF  THE  POUNDS 


39 


whom  God  hath  given  to  them  that  obey  Him."  The 
promise  of  Pentecost  was  not  restricted  to  a  few  special 
cases,  but  the  Apostle  distinctly  states,  ''The  promise  is 
unto  you,  and  to  your  children,  and  to  all  that  are  afar 
off,  even  as  many  as  the  Lord  our  God  shall  call." 

God  does  not  send  us  warring  upon  our  own  charges. 
He  gives  to  us  all  that  is  needful  for  the  trust  com- 
mitted to  us.  If  you  should  be  sent  by  a  great  com- 
mercial house  to  carry  out  a  trust  for  them  in  some 
distant  land  you  would  expect  them  to  pay  your  ex- 
penses, to  provide  you  your  ticket,  to  give  you  all  neces- 
sary introductions,  and  to  equip  you  thoroughly  for  your 
important  journey.  And  when  God  sends  us  on  His 
great  embassy.  He  pledges  Himself  to  enable  us  to  carry 
it  out  successfully.  This  promise  of  power  just  means — 
all  we  need  for  efficiency.  It  is  sufficiency  for  efficiency, 
all  personal  qualifications,  providential  workings,  and 
divine  enablings  that  we  have  a  right  to  expect  for  the 
successful  accomplishment  of  the  work  that  is  given  us 
to  do. 

If  our  work  is  in  the  secular  realm,  we  have  a  right 
to  expect  His  help  and  success.  If  it  is  in  directly 
spiritual  things,  we  have  a  right  to  expect  it  there.  The 
power  is  in  proportion  to  the  place.  God's  provision 
is  ample  for  God's  trust.  Now  the  Holy  Ghost  is  the 
equivalent  of  all  we  need  for  our  trust  and  work. 

An  English  writer,  I  think  Mr.  Pearse,  tells  how  he 
once  spoke  to  a  poor  woman  in  a  London  City  Mission, 
and  tried  to  show  her  how  Christ  was  the  adequate  sup- 
ply for  all  her  need.  She  could  not  understand  it  at 
first,  and  then  he  stopped  and  began  to  ask  her  about  her 
home  and  her  circumstances,  and  what  she  needed  for 
her  family.  Then,  handing  hev  a  shilling,  he  said,  *  Now 
what  would  you  do  with  this  shilling  if  you  had  itT'* 
She  told  him  that  she  would  spend  two  pence  for  bread, 
and  a  penny  for  coal,  and  so  on  until  she  had  spent  the 
shilling.    **So  you  see,"  he  said,  ''that  this  shilling  is 


i  *' 


40 


POWER  FfiOM  ON  HIGH 


really  not  a  shilling,  but  it  is  coal,  and  sugar,  and 
bread."  "Now,"  he  said,  ''Christ  is  the  same.  Looking 
at  Him  in  one  way  He  is  Christ  but  in  another  way  He 
becomes  to  you  peace  and  joy  and  salvation  and  answered 
prayer,  providential  help  and  guidance,  supply  for  all 
j'our  needs, — everything  God  can  be  to  you  both  for  time 
and  eternity."  The  illustration  was  very  simple  and 
beautiful.  She  understood  it  and  accepted  the  Saviour, 
who  was  the  equivalent  of  all  her  need. 

Just  in  the  same  sense  the  Holy  Ghost  is  the  equivalent 
of  all  things.  Therefore,  in  one  place  in  Luke,  He  says, 
''How  much  more  will  your  Father  in  heaven  <riv(-  "he 
Holy  Ghost  to  them  that  ask  Him;"  and  in  ,' ao  i^c 
place  in  Matthew  He  says,  "How  much  more  will  your 
Father  in  heaven  give  good  things  to  them  that  ask 
Him."  So  this  pound  is  the  equivalent  of  all  we  need 
for  our  work. 

Do  we  need  to  understand  the  Bible?  He  will  be 
Light  and  Teacher.  Do  we  need  unction?  He  will  give 
the  anointing  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Do  we  need  faith?  He 
will  be  to  us  the  Spirit  of  faith.  Do  we  need  sympathy 
and  love  to  draw  souls  to  Clirist  ?  He  will  be  in  us,  the 
love  of  God  shed  abroad  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  Do  we 
need  power  to  convict  and  convert  men  ?  He  will  convict 
the  world  of  sin  and  righteousness  and  judgment,  and 
will  accompany  our  words  with  His  effectiveness.  Do 
we  need  a  power  that  will  co-operate  in  the  circumstances 
of  life?  He  will  make  all  things  work  together  for  us. 
So  the  Holy  Ghost  is  just  all  things,  and  none  of  us  is 
excused  if  ever  we  fail  or  come  short.  God  has  made 
provision  for  all  that  we  require,  and  He  will  surely 
expect  us  to  be  faithful  and  true  and  to  measure  up  to 
His  high  calling. 

A  Quaker  lady  was  approached,  one  day,  by  a  friend 
who  begged  her  to  pray  for  her  son,  M-ho  was  going  down 
to  destruction  through  the  power  of  drink.  The  Quaker 
lady  turned  to  her  and  said,  "Sister,  has  thee  prayed  for 


■r 


■» 


.;ui* 


1 
if 


I 


THE  PARABLE  OF  THE  POUNDS 


41 


thy  son?"  *'0h  yes,"  she  said,  "I  pray  as  well  as  I 
can,  but  I'm  afraid  my  prayers  are  not  worth  much. 
I  want  you  to  pray,  for  I  believe  you  know  how  to  pray 
better  than  I." 

"Sister,  has  thee  prayed  with  thy  boy?"  she  again 
asked.  "Why,"  replied  the  lady,  "I  couldn't  pray 
aloud,  I  should  be  embarrassed  at  the  sound  of  my  own 
voice.  Why,  you  don't  expect  me  to  pray  in  public,  do 
you  ?  I  'm  a  woman. "  "  Sister, ' '  said  the  Quaker  friend, 
"what  right  has  thee  to  be  weak,  so  that  thee  cannot  pray 
for  thy  boy  ?  Thee  has  the  same  Holy  Ghost  as  I,  to  be 
thy  power.  Sister,  I  will  not  pray  for  thy  boy,  till  thee 
prays  with  thy  boy. ' ' 

The  lady  went  away,  angry,  like  Naaman  of  old,  and 
feeling  very  badly  used ;  but,  like  Naaman,  she  came  to 
her  senses  a  little  later,  and  God  began  to  talk  to  her, 
and  to  make  her  feel  that  her  friend  was  right;  that 
she  ought  not  to  be  powerless;  that  perhaps  her  boy 
was  going  to  perdition  through  her  own  weakness  and 
unbelief. 

There  were  many  tears  and  heart  searchings  and  earnest 
prayers  to  God  for  righteousness  and  help ;  at  length  the 
Holy  Ghost  came  to  her  heart,  and  she  began  to  pray  for 
her  boy  in  faith  and  love.  One  night,  he  came  home  in 
a  drunken  stupor,  lay  down  in  his  room,  and  was  soon 
fast  asleep.  But  the  Spirit  drew  that  mother  to  his  side, 
and  she  knelt  and  laid  her  hand  on  his  hot  brow,  and 
began  to  smooth  his  tangled  hair  and  pray  to  God  that 
He  would  touch  his  heart  and  save  her  bo5\ 

Suddenly,  he  awoke,  and  the  Holy  Ghost  sobered  him 
in  a  moment.  He  looked  up  in  surprise,  and  cried, 
"Mother!  you  praying  for  me?  Oh  God,  have  mercy  on 
me,"  and  then  he  broke  down  in  repentance  and  prayer 
for  his  own  soul.  God  heard  those  united  prayers,  and 
before  the  night  was  over  that  boy  was  saved,  and  that 
mother's  heart  was  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost. 


ll  i 


42 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


* '  0  sister,  what  right  has  thee  to  be  weak  ? "  O  brother, 
why  should  you  be  ineffective  and  powerless  ?  *  *  Ye  shall 
receive  power  after  that  the  Holy  Ghost  is  come  upon 
you,  and  ye  shall  be  witnesses  unto  Me. ' ' 

We  have  said  that  the  Holy  Ghost  is  given  alike  to  all 
God's  servants.    Why  then  was  there  such  a  difference? 

There  is  a  difference  in  the  way  that  we  use  the  Holy 
Ghost.  He  is  given  to  us  to  use  Him,  and  this  is  the 
meaning  of  that  word,  ** Occupy  till  I  come." 

1  <.imilar  thought  is  expressed  in  the  twelfth  chapter 
of  1  ^athians,  where  the  apostle  says,  "The  mani- 
festation^ of  the  Spirit  is  given  to  every  man  to  profit 
withal. "  He  is  given  to  us  to  *  *  profit, ' '  to  use,  to  invest, 
to  exercise  the  divine  gift,  and  thus  to  grow ;  and  as  we 
use  the  Holy  Ghost,  we  become  accustomed  to  using  Him, 
and  we  have  great  boldness  in  the  faith  and  work  of 
God;  our  efficiency  increases  and  multiplies,  until  the 
one  pound  is  worth  ten,  and  the  servant  hands  back  his 
trust,  tenfold  greater  than  he  received  it.  This  is  the 
reason  of  the  difference  between  men  and  men.  It  is  a 
difference  of  faithfulness.  It  is  a  difference  of  diligence 
in  improving  the  trust  given  iliem.  It  is  a  very  solemn 
thing  to  receive  divine  power.  God  invests  Himself  in 
men,  and  God  is  a  great  economist  of  power  and  is  deeply 
grieved  when  we  waste  His  treasures ;  when  we  let  His 
power  lie  idle,  or  sluggishly  neglect  the  mighty  trust  that 
has  cost  Him  so  much. 

Let  us  use  God's  precious  gifts.  Let  us  be  diligent 
and  faithful  in  the  exercise  of  spiritual  things,  and,  as 
we  do,  our  faith  will  grow;  our  love  will  increase,  and 
our  usefulness  will  expand  until  we  shall  ''bring  forth 
some  thirty,  some  sixty,  and  some  an  hundredfold." 

The  word  "occupy"  in  the  original  is  a  very  striking 
one.  Indeed,  even  the  English  word  is  quite  suggestive. 
It  implies  that  we  do  not  own  our  gifts,  but  that  they  are 
simply  lent  to  us,  and  we  use  them  as  the  gifts  of  another. 
It  is  not  your  power.    It  is  not  your  faith,  but  His,  and 


XWy, 


f 


THE  PAEABLE  OF  THE  POUNDS 


43 


the 


tive. 
y^  are 
ther. 
and 


He  lends  to  you  His  own  divine  sufficiency  for  the  spe- 
cial service  required  of  you;  when  the  service  is  per- 
formed, you  are  no  stronger  nor  wiser  than  before. 
You  just  quietly  depend  upon  Him  for  His  own  personal 
power  for  the  next  service  and  opportunity. 

But  the  word  in  the  original  has  a  still  stronger  force. 
It  is  a  word  of  affairs.  It  literally  means  to  be  engaged 
in  business  affairs.  The  expression,  "trading,"  used 
later  in  the  parable,  expresses  the  same  idea.  There  is 
the  deepest  emphasis  in  the  expression.  The  Holy  Ghost 
is  not  restricted  to  what  we  call  spiritual  things,  but  He 
is  a  great  business  manager.  He  is  a  Spirit  of  practical 
wisdom  and  power.  He  is  an  all-round  Friend,  and  He 
wants  to  be  concerned  in  all  the  affairs  of  our  life.  In- 
deed, there  is  nothing  secular,  but  all  things  that  are 
given  to  God  are  sacred,  holy  and  divine. 

It  is  not  necessary,  therefore,  that  you  should  give  up 
your  business  and  go  out  of  the  world  to  serve  Him; 
but  let  it  be  God's  business,  and  then  it  will  always  be 
service.  God  has  no  better  opportunity  for  glorifying 
Himself  than  to  use  a  man  in  the  secular  affairs  of  life, 
and  be  as  near  to  him  on  Monday  as  on  Sunday ;  in  the 
workshop  as  in  the  holy  sanctuary  and  the  secret  place. 

There  are  plenty  of  preachers  in  the  world  today,  but 
God  wants  more  practicers.  There  are  many  apostles,  but 
Christ  is  looking  for  living  epistles. 

There  is  nothing  that  speaks  more  for  God  than  a  life 
spent  in  the  blaze  of  the  world,  yet  lighted  up  with  holy 
and  heavenly  purity  and  power.  Such  lives  preach  to 
men,  whether  they  want  to  hear  or  not. 

"We  are  living  in  a  day  when  the  great  men  of  the 
world  are  business  men.  The  strongest  men  of  the  pres- 
ent century  are  our  railroad  kings,  our  bankers,  the 
founders  of  our  immense  corporations  and  commercial 
enterprises. 

These  men  have  gigantic  intellects  and  far-reaching 
power.    Why  can  they  not  be  as  mighty  for  God  as  they 


44 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


m 


are  for  the  world?  Why  can  they  not  be  as  effective  on 
the  Board  of  Missions  as  they  are  on  the  Board  of  Trade  ? 
They  can  spend  their  millions  for  railways  and  business 
corporations;  what  is  to  hinder  their  spending  their 
hundreds  of  millions  to  spread  the  Gospel  of  Christ? 
Why  should  the  day  not  come  when  men  of  wealth  and 
successful  enterprise  shall  invest,  not  a  few  thousands, 
but  ten,  twenty,  yes,  fifty  millions,  for  China,  Africa  and 
India  ?  I  should  not  eulogize  the  man  who  should  come 
to  me  and  say,  *'I  have  twenty  millions  I  want  to  spend  to 
evangelizing  Central  Africa."  I  should  say  to  him, 
*'You  have  done  just  right,  but  you  have  been  a  long 
time  getting  at  it." 

When  business  men  come  to  understand  that  this  is 
the  nature  of  entire  consecration,  we  shall  see  greater 
things  than  were  seen  on  the  day  of  Pentecost.  Then 
young  men  will  come  forward  and  consecrate  their  lives 
to  God,  and  He  will  give  them  the  millions  that  belong 
to  Him  to  spend  as  grandly  for  Him,  as  the  men  of  the 
world  are  laying  out  their  treasures  for  commercial  en- 
terprizes  and  gigantic  schemes  of  selfishness  and  gain. 
God  help  us  to  "occupy"  in  these  practical  ways  and 
days,  with  a  view  of  His  coming! 

The  most  encouraging  facts  which  I  know  today  are 
just  such  facts  as  I  have  spoken  of.  There  are  men  in 
this  country  who  are  carrying  on  great  commercial  enter- 
prizes  for  the  exclusive  purpose  of  devoting  the  proceeds 
on  a  magnificent  scale  to  the  evangelizing  of  the  world, 
and  the  giving  of  the  Gospel  to  all  nations. 

"Occupy  till  I  come."  The  object  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
and  the  object  of  the  consecrated  believer  must  always 
have  direct  reference  to  the  Lord 's  personal  return.  The 
business  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  to  prepare  Christ 's  people 
and  the  world  for  His  second  coming.  First,  this  will 
be  done  by  the  spiritual  preparation  of  our  own  hearts 
and  lives.  The  Bride  must  be  made  ready,  and  so  the 
Holy  Ghost  is  working  out  today  a  wondrous  work  of 


THT,  PARABLE  OF  THE  POUNDS 


45 


sanctifying  grace,  in  the  hearts  of  the  chosen  few  who  are 
willing  to  hear  His  call  and  to  prepare  for  His  return. 

But  this  is  not  all.  Our  work  is  also  to  have  reference 
to  His  coming.  We  are  "to  occupy  till  He  come."  We 
are  to  accomplish  our  ministry  with  direct  reference  to 
the  millennial  reign  of  Jesus.  Our  Christian  work  is  to 
be  shaped  and  moulded  by  this  consideration.  Oh,  what 
a  difference  it  would  make  in  our  methods  of  service,  if 
we  would  make  this  the  standpoint  and  object  of  all  our 
work  for  God!  Then  we  should  not  have  120,000  min- 
isters among  sixty  millions  on  this  continent,  and  a  few 
hundreds  among  the  vaster  millions  of  China. 

Oh,  if  the  Holy  Ghost  had  His  way,  how  many  of  us 
He  would  scatter  to  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth ! 
I  think  I  see  Him  going  through  Scotland,  and  dismis- 
sing a  thousand  preachers,  and  saying,  "Go  to  India, 
China,  and  Africa." 

I  think  I  see  Him  entering  a  western  town,  where  a 
dozen  churches  are  competing  for  the  scanty  population 
and  trying  to  establish  their  separate  sects.  I  can  hear 
Him  say,  "Shut  up  three-fourths  of  these  places,  and 
send  the  men  to  the  neglected  and  destitute  fields  where 
no  voice  speaks  of  Me." 

How  much  of  our  Christian  work  is  standing  in  the 
way  of  Christ 's  will !  How  much  of  our  best  service  is 
not  the  service  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  is  not  occupying 
till  He  come !  How  long  we  have  delayed  Him  even  by 
doing  good,  and  not  doing  it  in  His  way!  But  wj  can 
be  looking  for  His  coming  even  in  our  business. 

It  is  very  beautiful  to  notice  that  in  the  picture  given 
of  Christ 's  return  and  the  translation  of  His  waiting  peo- 
ple, they  are  found  occupied  in  their  callings.  It  is 
night  in  one  part  of  the  world,  and  "two  are  in  one 
bed;"  "one  is  taken,  and  the  other  is  left."  It  is  all 
right  to  be  in  bed  when  Christ  comes,  if  it  is  night,  far 
better  be  there  than  in  sin.    It  is  early  morning  in  an- 


■t 


46 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIQH 


Oilier  place,  and  "two  women  are  f^rinding  at  the  mill." 
One  of  them  is  getting  her  husband's  breakfast  ready. 
It  is  quite  right  to  be  found  there,  and  so  she  is  taken 
right  up  from  her  secular  occupation.  It  is  midday  in 
another  land,  and  two  are  in  one  field  working  at  their 
harvest.  It  is  all  right  to  be  there,  too,  if  the  work  is 
done  for  God.  There  is  no  need  for  them  to  hurry 
home  and  change  their  clothes.  There  is  no  need  to  go 
and  fix  up  things.  They  are  "found  of  Him  in  peace, 
without  spot  and  blameless."  And  so  these  toiling 
farmers  are  taken  right  up  to  be  with  God,  and  meet 
their  Lord  in  the  air,  and  to  sit  down  with  the  wedding 
robe  at  the  marriage  supper  of  the  Lamb. 

How  beautiful  to  know  that  all  that  is  done  for  God 
is  sacred !  How  sweet  the  old  story  of  the  New  England 
Legislature;  when  the  storm  came  on,  and  some  of  the 
members  thought  that  the  day  of  judgment  had  come, 
one  of  them  anxiously  moved  that  the  house  adjourn. 
An  old  Puritan  sprang  to  his  feet  and  said,  "Mr. 
Speaker,  if  the  day  of  judgment  has  not  come,  there  is  no 
need  for  this  unbecoming  haste ;  and  if  it  has  come,  I, 
for  one,  prefer  to  be  found  at  my  post.  I  move  that  the 
house  do  not  adjourn."  Thus  let  us  "occupy"  and  be 
occupied  with  the  Master's  work,  and  for  His  glory  and 
His  approval. 

Finally,  when  He  comes  there  will  be  a  just  award. 
The  servant  that  has  faithfully  used  his  enduement  of 
power,  receives  the  Master's  commendation  and  is  pro- 
moted to  higher  service.  I  am  so  glad  that  the  coming 
of  Christ  is  not  going  to  end  our  work.  I  should  not 
want  to  meet  Him  if  I  had  to  give  up  working  for  the 
Master.  Thank  God,  we  shall  have  higher  service  through 
the  eternal  years.    "Be  thou  ruler  over  ten  cities." 

Oh,  how  much  greater  is  the  recompense  than  the  serv- 
ice! A  city  for  a  pound;  ten  cities  instead  of  a  hun- 
dred and  fifty  dollars! 


i 


THE  PAHABLE  OF  THE  POUNDS 


47 


»» 


All  our  service  here  is  but  a  training  for  that  higher 
ministry.  How  touching  to  hear  the  Master  say,  *  *  Thou 
hast  been  faithful  over  a  very  little."  The  man  that 
had  gained  ten  pounds  had  done  "a  very  little."  The 
highest  service  we  do  for  God  on  earth  is  but  **a  very 
little."  We  are  simply  playing  at  service,  or  rather 
going  to  school  at  it.  We  are  taking  lessons  in  true  min- 
istry. The  best  we  do  is  but  childish  and  trifling,  but  it 
is  preparing  us  for  the  grand  service  of  the  ages  to  come 
when,  with  our  Lord  Himself,  endued  with  His  ^visdom, 
power,  and  glory,  we  shall  be  co- workers,  perhaps,  amid 
yonder  constellations  or  on  this  green  earth,  to  restore 
it  to  the  beauties  and  glories  of  Paradise  again,  and  to 
rear  the  eternal  temple  for  which  He  is  now  preparing 
the  precious  stones. 

The  Master  does  not  say  that  they  have  been  success- 
ful, but  He  recognizes  them  as  having  been  ** faithful." 
God  help  us  at  least  to  be  faithful ! 

The  reward  will  be  in  proportion  to  the  fidelity  of  the 
servant.  The  servant  that  had  gained  tenfold  was  re- 
warded tenfold,  and  the  servant  that  had  increased  his 
investment  fivefold  received  only  in  proportion.  Be- 
loved, we  are  laying  up  our  treasures.  We  are  carving 
our  eternal  destiny.  We  are  preparing  our  immortal 
crown.  Oh,  how  the  days  are  telling!  God  help  us  to 
be  true! 

But  alas  for  the  servant  who  came  with  his  pound 
wrapped  up  in  a  napkin!  It  was  nicely  kept.  It  was 
a  clean  napkin,  perhaps  a  costly  one.  He  had  taken 
good  care  of  his  salvation.  He  had  nursed  his  blessing, 
and  he  gave  it  back  as  good  as  he  got  it.  But  was  the 
Master  pleased  ?  Alas,  alas,  for  such  a  servant !  * '  Take 
from  him  the  pound,  and  give  it  unto  him  that  hath  ten 
pounds. ' '  He  was  not  lost.  He  was  not  destroyed,  as  the 
"enemies"  of  the  Master  were.  He  was  deprived.  He 
had  some  place  in  the  kingdom,  but  he  was  forever  con- 
scious of  an  opportunity  lost,  and  a  life  that  never  would 


\n 


48 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


come  again.  Beloved,  we  may  save  our  souls,  but  lose 
our  lives.  We  may  gain  an  entrance  into  heaven,  but 
lose  our  everlasting  crown.    God  help  us  to  be  our  best ! 

Not  easily  shall  that  crown  be  won  by  any.  Even 
the  great  apostle  did  not  think  rashly  of  his  reward,  but 
straining  every  nerve  and  reaching  forth  unto  these 
things  that  were  before  as  one  that  had  not  yet  attained, 
he  used  this  intense  language,  '*If  by  any  manner  of 
means  I  might  attain  unto  the  resurrection  from  among 
the  dead."    So  let  us  so  run  that  we  may  obtain. 

Beloved,  we  have  an  eternity  before  us.  We  have  an 
unfading  crown  to  win  or  lose ;  we  have  a  life  in  which 
to  win  it,  and  we  have  the  infinite  Holy  Ghost  to  enable 
us  for  this  mighty  competition,  for  this  glorious  prize, 
for  this  divine  trust.    God  help  us  to  be  trueI 


" 


i 


I 


i 


CHAPTER  V. 
THE  HOLY  GHOST  IN  THE  GOSPEL  OF  JOHN. 

"In  the  last  day,  that  great  day  of  the  feast,  Jesus  stood  and 
cried,  saying,  If  any  man  thirst,  let  hmi  come  unto  Me,  and  drink. 

"lie  that  believeth  on  Me,  as  the  Scripture  liath  said,  out  of 
his  belly  shall  How  rivers  of  living  water. 

"But  this  spako  He  of  the  Spirit,  which  they  that  believe 
on  Him  should  reecivo:  for  the  Holy  (Ihoat  was  not  yet  given; 
because  that  Jesus  was  not  yet  glorified." — John  7:  37-39. 

IN  the  fir-st  seven  chapters  of  the  Gospel  of  John,  we 
have  a  very  striking   progressive  unfolding  of  the 
doctrine  of  the  Holy  Ghost;   first,  in  abstract  state- 
ments of  truth,  and  then,  illustrated  in  a  very  significant 
and  beautiful  miracle. 

I. 

First,  we  have  the  Holy  Spirit  in  relation  to  the  Lord 
Jesus.  In  John  1 :  32,  we  see  the  Spirit  descending  from 
heaven  like  a  dove,  and  abiding  upon  Him,  and  in  John 
3 :  34,  we  are  further  told  that  God  giveth  not  the  Spirit 
by  measure  unto  Him. 

Up  to  this  time  all  men  had  received  the  Spirit  by 
measure;  that  is,  they  had  received  some  of  His  gifts, 
influences,  and  power;  but  Christ  received  the  Spirit 
Himself  in  His  personal  presence  and  immeasurable 
fullness,  and  since  then  the  Spirit  has  resided  in  the 
world  in  His  boundless  and  infinite  attributes. 

Christ  first  received  Him  as  a  pattern  for  His  follow- 
ers, and  then  gave  Him  forth  to  them,  from  His  own 
very  heart,  as  the  Spirit  that  had  resided  in  Him,  and 
that  comes  to  us  softened  by  His  humanity  and  witnes- 
sing to  His  person. 

Therefore  we  read  in  the  next  place  not  only  of 
Christ's  receiving  the  Spirit,  but  of  Christ's  giving  the 
Spirit.     In  John  1 :  33,  the  great  forerunner  says  of 

49 


50 


POWER  FROM   ON  HIGH 


Ilim,  "The  same  is  lie  which  baptizeth  with  the  Holy 
Ghost."  It  is  Christ  that  baptizeth  with  the  Holy 
Gliost.  It  is  throu{^}i  Him  we  receive  tlie  Spirit.  It  is 
He  who  "hath  shed  forth,"  as  the  Apostle  Peter  says, 
the  power  from  ou  high,  and  tiie  S])irit  of  Pentecost. 

This  is  the  peculiarity  of  the  Holy  Ghost  as  He  comes 
to  us  in  the  New  Testament  age.  He  comes  not  only 
from  the  Father,  but  especially  from  the  Son,  and 
through  the  Son,  and  He  comes  to  us  as  the  Spirit  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ, 

n. 

We  next  see  the  Holy  Ghost  in  relation  to  the  believer ; 
first.  He  is  presented  to  us  as  the  Spirit  of  regeneration. 
In  John  3,  verses  5  and  6,  Christ  says,  "Except  a  man 
be  born  of  water  and  of  the  Spirit,  he  nnot  enter  into 
the  Kingdom  of  God.    That  which  is  of  the  flesh  is 

flesh,  that  which  is  born  of  the  Spirit  is  Spirit." 

The  very  first  experience  of  the  Christian  life  is  to  re- 
ceive the  new  heart  from  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  natural 
man  is  unable  even  to  see  the  Kingdom  of  God,  and  is 
powerless  to  enter.  The  Holy  Ghost  creates  in  us  a  new 
life  and  a  new  set  of  spiritual  senses  altogether,  through 
which  we  discern,  understand,  and  enter  into  the  life  of 
God  and  the  spiritual  realm.  "As  many  as  received 
Him,  to  them  gave  He  power  to  become  the  sons  of  God, 
even  to  them  that  believe  on  His  name ;  which  were  born, 
not  of  blood,  nor  of  the  will  of  the  flesh,  nor  of  the  will  of 
man,  but  of  God." 

Next,  we  see  the  Holy  Ghost  in  His  deeper,  and  per- 
sonal indwelling  in  the  heart.  In  John  4 :  14,  Christ  said 
to  the  woman  of  Samaria,  "The  water  that  I  shall  give 
him  shall  be  in  him  a  well  of  water  springing  up  unto 
everlasting  life."  This  is  the  indwelling  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  It  is  much  more  than  regeneration.  It  is  the 
personal  incoming  of  the  Spirit  Himself,  bringing  not  a 
cup  of  water,  but  a  well  of  water,  and  establishing  in  the 


THE  HOLY  GHOST  IN  THE  G08PEL  OP  JOHN       51 


s 


per- 

said 

give 

unto 

Holy 

the 

not  a 

n  the 


heart  the  fountain  of  life,  so  that  we  are  henceforth 
dependent,  not  upon  eaeh  other,  but  upon  God  only,  for 
the  source  of  our  life. 

Again  in  Jolin  7 :  37,  we  have  a  still  stronger  expres- 
sion to  describe  the  interior  life  of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  the 
heart;  *'If  any  man  thirst,  let  him  come  unto  Me,  and 
drink."  Drinking  of  the  Spirit  is  more  than  receiving 
the  Spirit.  It  is  possible  for  us  to  receive  the  Spirit  and 
have  Him,  and  yet  not  use  Him  nor  drink  from  the 
flowing  fountain  as  abundantly  as  we  might. 

The  Apostle  in  1  Cor.  12:13  uses  the  same  figures 
where  he  says,  *'By  one  Spirit  are  ye  all  baptized  into 
one  body,  .  .  .  and  have  been  all  made  to  drink 
into  one  Spirit."  To  use  the  old  figure,  it  is  the  bottle 
in  the  ocean  and  th(  ocean  in  the  bottle.  It  is  possible 
for  us  to  be  in  the  Spirit,  and  yet  not  be  receiving  the 
Spirit  as  fully  as  we  need.  Drinking  is  the  habit  of  faith, 
an  exercise  of  our  spiritual  senses  which  constantly  re- 
news and  quickens  our  spiritual  life,  refreshing  us  and 
filling  us,  so  that  we  are  glad  to  i)our  out  our  full  vessel 
in  service  for  others. 

Then  this  receiving  of  the  Spirit  needs,  on  our  part 
as  well  as  on  Christ 's,  the  using  and  giving  forth  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  to  others.  And  so  we  read  in  the  next  verse, 
"He  that  believeth  on  Me,  as  the  Scripture  hath  said, 
out  of  his  belly  shall  flow  rivers  of  living  water.  But 
this  spake  He  of  the  Spirit,  which  they  that  believe  on 
Him  should  receive."  Thjs  is  the  outflow  of  the  spiritual 
life.  This  is  the  evidence  that  we  are  filled,  because  we 
cannot  hold  it  longer,  and  now  occupy  ourselves  in  im- 
parting the  blessing  to  others.  Like  Ezekiel's  river,  it  is 
flowing  not  in,  but  out,  pouring  in  streams  of  blessing 
through  the  dry  and  desert  places  of  life.  As  soon 
as  our  life  becomes  positive,  unselfish,  and  outflowing, 
it  becomes  unspeakably  magnified;  so  that  what  was  a 
well,  in  the  heart,  has  grown  to  rivers  of  blessing,  in  the 
life  devoted  to  God  and  expended  in  blessing  the  world. 


52 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


The  river  suggests  the  idea  of  fullness,  magnitude, 
and  abundance;  spontaneous,  free,  and  overflowing,  it 
does  not  need  to  be  pumped  but  flows  of  itself  for  very 
fullness.  It  is  the  service  of  a  glad,  unselfish  and  loving 
heart. 

God  does  not  want  anything  that  has  to  be  pressed 
from  an  unwilling  giver.  The  prayer  that  is  offered 
God  from  a  sense  of  duty,  the  work  that  is  done  just  be- 
cause we  have  to  do  it,  the  word  that  is  spoken  because 
we  are  expected  to  be  ministers  and  to  be  consistent  with 
our  profession,  are  dead,  cold,  and  comparatively  worth- 
less. True  service  springs  from  a  full  and  joyful  heart 
and  runs  over,  like  the  broad  and  boundless  river.  Like 
the  river,  too,  it  runs  downward  into  the  lowest  places 
and  aims  to  reach  the  saddest,  hardest,  and  most  hope- 
lecs  cases.  And,  like  the  river,  it  is  a  perennial  and 
everflowing  spring,  running  on  amid  the  changing 
scenes  around  it,  flowing  through  the  whole  course  of 
life,  and  saying,  like  the  beautiful  streamlet  as  it  glides 
along,  ''Men  may  come,  and  men  may  go,  but  I  go  on 
forever. ' ' 

This  is  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  It  makes  us 
simple,  sweet,  exuberant,  fullhearted,  and  enthusiastic 
for  God,  and  our  work,  and  our  words  are  the  overflow  of 
a  life  so  deep  and  full  that  it  brings  its  own  witnesses, 
and  it  makes  others  long  for  the  blessing  that  shines  in 
our  faces  and  speaks  in  our  voices  and  springs  in  our 
glad  and  buoyant  steps.  And  it  is  not  merely  a  river, 
but  rivers.  It  runs  wherever  it  can  find  a  channel  and 
blesses  every  life  that  it  touches  on  its  way.  Is  God  thus 
using  us,  and  has  He  thus  filled  us  with  the  Holy  Ghost 
until  the  fullness  overflows? 

It  is  not  necessary  that  we  should  be  always  preach- 
ing. Indeed,  sometimes  we  are  looking,  too  far  off  for 
the  service  that  God  expects  of  us.  Just  at  hand  '^'e 
might  often  find  the  opening  and  the  channel  which 
would  bring  blessing  to  some  heart  that  God  has  brought 


on 


us 


'ach- 

for 

I  we 


I 


THE  HOLY  GHOST  IN  THE  GOSPEL  OF  JOHN       53 

into  our  life,  to  prepare  us  for  future  blessing  to  a  wider 
circle. 

An  anxious,  earnest  Christian  woman  was  crying  to 
God  for  service  and  wondering  why  she  was  tied  up  in 
her  home  and  unable,  like  other  women,  to  go  out  and 
reach  a  broader  place.  Her  bright  little  girl  was  playing 
beside  her  and  calling  in  vain  to  the  preoccupied  mother 
to  help  her  with  lier  little  doll,  which  had  lost  a  finger 
or  a  garment,  and  which  to  her  was  the  central  object 
of  life. 

Again  and  again  she  came  to  the  mother  with  her  little 
trouble,  and  the  mother,  fretted  and  worried  with  her 
own  spiritual  need,  pushed  her  off,  and,  at  length,  rather 
harshly  sent  her  away  and  told  her  not  to  bother  her, 
as  she  was  busy  about  higher  things.  Wearied  and  dis- 
appointed, the  little  one  went  off  alone  into  a  corner 
and  sat  down  with  her  little  broken  doll  and  cried  herself 
to  sleep. 

A  while  afterward,  that  mother  turned  around  and 
saw  the  little  rosy  cheeks  covered  with  tears,  and  the  little 
wrecked  doll  lying  in  her  bosom,  and  then  God  spake  to 
her,  and  said,  *'My  child,  in  seeking  some  higher  service 
for  Me,  you  have  broken  a  little  heart  of  Mine.  You 
wanted  to  do  something  for  Me.  That  little  child  was 
the  messenger  I  sent,  and  that  little  service  was  the  test 
I  gave  you.  He  that  is  faithful  in  that  which  is  least  is 
faithful  also  in  moic,  and  he  that  is  u'lliithful  in  the 
least  is  unfit  for  the  greater." 

The  mother  learned  her  lesson.  She  picked  up  the 
little  lamb  in  her  arms  and  kissed  her  awake ;  then  she 
asked  God  and  her  baby  to  forgive  her,  and  began  from 
that  hour  to  pour  out  the  love  of  Christ  on  every  object 
that  came  in  her  wa.y.  As  she  became  faithful  to  do  the 
things  nearest  at  hand,  God  widened  her  sphere  until  the 
day  came  when,  stnnding  among  her  sisters,  leading  them 
on  to  higher  service  and  speaking  to  hundreds  and  thou- 
sands of  her  fellow-workers,  she  told  the  story  of  her  ex- 


54 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


perience,  and  the  lesson  by  which  she  learned  that  God 
does  not  need  our  great  service,  but  simply  that  we  should 
meet  Him  in  the  things  that  He  brings  to  us,  and  that 
we  should  everywhere  be  channels  of  blessing  and  love. 

So  let  our  lives  be  filled,  and  then  emptied  through- 
out the  channels  around  us.  Let  us  come  to  Him,  and 
drink  and  drink  again,  and  yet  again,  until  our  hearts 
are  so  full  that  we  shall  go  out  to  find  the  sad,  the  sin- 
ning, and  the  suifering  and  comfort  them  with  the  com- 
fort wherewith  we  ourselves  are  comforted  of  God. 

Tnis  was  the  story  of  the  Master.  This  must  be  the 
story  of  the  disciple.  We  receive  that  we  may  give,  and 
only  as  we  give,  shall  we  continue  to  receive ;  the  more 
abundantly  we  impart,  the  more  richly  shall  we  be  filled 
with  all  the  fullness  of  God. 


III. 

Let  us  now  look  at  a  beautiful  object  lesson  of  this 
double  truth  in  the  second  chapter  of  this  blessed  Gospel. 
It  is  the  miracle  of  Cana  of  Galilee.  The  evangelist  tells 
us  that  this  was  the  first  of  Christ's  miracles,  and  it  must 
have  had  a  special  significance.  He  also  tells  us  that  it 
was  a  miracle  which  manifested  forth  His  glory,  and* 
this  undoubtedly  suggests  to  us  that  there  was  seme 
deep  lesson  back  of  this  miracle,  which  made  it  worthy 
to  occupy  a  place  right  in  the  beginning  of  the  deeply 
spiritual  teaching  of  this  wonderful  gospel.  Indeed,  it 
is  a  kind  of  parable  and  symbol  of  the  whole  truth  which 
we  have  been  endeavoring  to  unfold  from  the  direct 
teaching  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  the  passages  which 
we  have  quoted. 

1.  We  see  the  failure  of  our  natural  life,  joy,  and  love, 
in  the  exhausting  of  Cana's  wine.  Beautiful,  indeed,  is 
the  bridal  scene  with  its  fair  and  fragrant  blossoms,  the 
freshness  and  beauty  of  youth,  the  vigor  and  nobility 
of  young  manhood,  the  sympathy  of  innumerable  friends, 
and  the  bright  and  sunny  hopes  and  prospects  of  future 


THE  HOLY  GHOST  IN  THE  GOSPEL  OF  JOHN        55 


and* 


id. 


love, 
d,  is 
the 
)iUty 
jnds, 
turc 


! 


happiness.  But  oh,  how  soon  the  vision  fails!  How 
quickly  the  goblet  of  pleasure  is  drained,  and  how  often 
the  serpen  i:  is  left  in  tue  dregs,  and  all  that  remains  is  a 
memory  more  bitter  because  of  the  joy  that  has  turned  to 
sadness ! 

Alas  for  life,  if  this  were  all !  Bat  it  is  just  when  the 
natural  fails,  that  the  divine  begins.  It  is  just  when  the 
old  creation  dies,  that  the  new  creation  rises.  It  is  just 
when  Cana's  wine  is  exhausted,  that  Jesus  0  Nazareth 
appears.  And  now  we  see  in  this  exquisite  m.  'acle  the 
very  truths  we  have  been  endeavoring  to  unfold. 

2.  Next  we  have  the  filling  of  the  vessels.  The  Mas- 
ter's command  is,  ''Fill  the  waterpots  with  water  to  the 
brim."  They  were  just  earthen  vessels,  waterpots  for 
ordinary  use;  but  they  were  empty  and  clean,  and  all 
that  was  necessary  was  to  fill  them  with  pure  water. 
They  represent  tliese  vessels  of  our  human  lives,  earthen 
vessels;  but  if  they  are  empty  ve-sels  and  offered  to  the 
Master,  and  if  they  are  filled  to  the  brim  w  ith  the  Holy 
Ghost,  of  which  water  is  e^  the  type,  then  something 
will  surely  come  to  pass. 

They  must  be  full  to  the  brim.  A  whole  heart  luust 
receive  a  whole  Christ.  The  Holy  Gh(-t  does  j ')t  take 
us  by  halves,  nor  will  He  give  Himself  by  halves.  It  is 
the  fullness  which  makes  the  overflow. 

3.  Next  comes  the  other  and  nobler  side  of  ^ho.  miracle. 
The  filling  is  the  smallest  part.  What  next?  "Draw 
out  now,  and  bear  to  the  governor  of  the  feaf:^"  Be- 
gin to  use  the  water,  and  lo !  it  becomes  wine. 

Oh!  how  clear  and  plain  the  lesson!  It  is  bicssed  to 
receive  the  Holy  Ghost,  but  it  is  more  blessed  to  impart 
Him.  And  the  only  way  you  will  know  that  you  have 
received  Him,  is  by  beginning  to  give  Him.  You  must 
go  forward  like  the  servants  of  the  parable,  in  faith,  and 
draw  out  before  you  see  the  miracle ;  but  as  you  bear  it 
to  the  guests,  lo,  it  becomes  wine,  and  it  rises  to  a  higher 
quality.    Both  are  types  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  but  the  wine 


II 1 


56 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


lit' 


In     , 


is  the  higher.  The  water  speaks  of  cleansing  and  full- 
ness, but  the  wine  tells  of  joy,  and  love,  and  life  divine. 

When  we  are  receiving  the  Holy  Ghost  we  are  only 
cold  water  Christians,  but  when  we  are  pouring  forth  His 
fullness  in  holy  service  we  are  drinking  of  the  heavenly 
wine,  and  we  are  made  partakers  of  the  Masters  own 
divine  and  ineffable  joy. 

It  is  exactly  the  same  idea  expressed  later  in  the 
rivers  of  living  water,  running  out,  and  running  over; 
but  it  is  more  than  the  river.  It  is  the  joy  and  the  glad- 
ness that  turns  all  life  into  a  marriage  feast  and  a  joy- 
ful song.  Even  the  world  itself  is  forced  to  admit,  like 
the  ruler  of  Cana's  wedding,  that  the  best  wine  has  come 
last. 

Oh,  that  we  might  so  live  and  so  minister  that  men 
would  recognize,  even  as  he,  the  higher  qualities  and 
value  of  the  blessing  that  He  brings !  All  around  us  are 
hearts  and  lives  where  the  wine  of  earth  has  failed,  God 
help  us  to  bring  them  the  heavenly  cup,  and  the  divine 
life  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  until  this  poor,  starving 
world  shall  recognize  that  we  have  something  better  than 
they,  and  shall  be  made  hungry  by  our  benignant  faces 
and  our  overflowing  joy. 

Now,  in  conclusion,  how  are  we  to  receive  this  blessing  ? 
Let  us  hearken  to  the  message  of  Mary.  ''Whatsoever 
He  saith  unto  thee,  do  it."  It  comes  to  us  through  some 
step  of  obedience  to  the  Master  Himself.  He  will  show 
you  the  way,  and  as  you  obey  Him  step  by  step,  you  will 
enter  into  the  joy  of  your  Lord.  He  will  interpret  every 
experience  and  more  than  realize  every  anticipation. 

But  next,  you  must  not  forget  the  other  command, 
"Fill  the  waterpots  with  water;  fill  them  to  the  brim." 
Leave  no  vacant  place  in  the  soul.  Hold  back  no  part 
of  your  life  from  Him.  Yield  a  whole  heart  and  fill  it 
with  a  whole  Christ. 

And  then  finally,  above  all  else,  go  forward  and  use 
the  gift  of  His  love.    "Draw  out,  and  bear  to  the  gov- 


i 


P     11'- 


' 


THE  HOLY  GHOST  IN  THE  GOSPEL  OF  JOHN 


57 


ernor  of  the  feast."  Take  the  life  that  He  has  given 
and  use  it  to  comfort  the  sorrowing,  save  the  lost,  help 
the  discouraged,  and  minister  in  the  name  and  grace  of 
3-our  blessed  Master;  as  you  go  forth,  the  Holy  Ghost 
will  go  before  you,  and  will  work  through  you,  and  lead 
you  on  from  strength  to  strength,  and  will  multiply  you 
one  hundred  fold,  until,  like  Ezekiel's  vision,  the  trick- 
ling streamlet  will  become  ''water  to  the  ankles,"  "water 
to  the-  knees,"  "water  to  the  loins,"  "water  over  head, 
a  river  to  swim  in,"  a  torrent  of  blessing  and  of  power, 
with  the  trees  of  life  on  either  shore,  the  leaves  of  heal- 
ing, and  the  gladness  and  the  glory  of  Paradise  restored 
all  along  your  way. 


!     1 


i&; 


llM 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  COMFORTER. 

"And  I  will  pray  the  Father,  and  he  shall  give  you  another 
Comforter,  that  he  may  abide  with  you  forever." — John  14:  16. 

THESE  three  chapters  contain  Christ's  deepest  teach- 
ings concerning  the  Holy  Ghost. 

I. 

THE  NAME,  THE  COMFORTER. 

This  is  not  a  very  happy  translation.  The  Greek  word 
is  Paraclete,  and  it  literally  means  a  God  at  hand,  One 
by  our  side,  O'ne  that  we  may  call  upon  in  every  emer- 
gency. The  Latin  word,  advocate,  has  the  same  mean- 
ing, One  that  we  call  upon  or  call  to  us.  One  ever  within 
call.  In  this  connection,  the  Holy  Ghost  is  represented 
to  us  as  the  present  and  all  sufficient  God.  Of  course, 
there  is  comfort,  infinite  comfort  in  all  this;  but  the 
primary  idea  is  not  so  much  spiritual  enjoyment,  as 
practical  efficiency  and  sufficiency  for  every  occasion  and 
emergency  that  arises. 

This  is  just  what  the  Holy  Ghost  is, — God  for  every- 
thing. God  at  hand  under  all  circumstances  and  equal 
to  all  demands.  Oh,  what  comfort  this  brings  to  our 
oppressed  and  struggling  life !  A  God  able  to  make  all 
grace  abound  to  us;  so  that  we,  always  having  all-suffi- 
ciency in  all  things,  may  abound  unto  every  good  work. 


t'iii 


n. 

THE  MODE  OP  HIS  PRESENCE. 

He  shall  be  in  you.    ' '  He  dwelleth  with  you,  and  shall 
be  in  you."    The  presence  of  God,  through  the  Old  Tes- 

58 


THE  COMFORTER 


59 


Qother 
L4:  16. 

each- 


word 
,  One 
3mer- 
nean- 
itliin 

nted 
►urse, 
the 
as 

and 

v^ery- 
qual 
our 
e  all 

Sllffi- 

i^ork. 


tament  and  even  during  the  ministry  of  Christ,  was  a 
presence  with  men;  but  in  the  New  Testament  dispen- 
sation and  after  the  coming  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  it  was  to 
be  a  presence  in  men. 

The  Holy  Ghost  was  to  become  corporately  united  and 
identified  with  the  life  of  the  believer,  so  that  He  would 
bring  us  into  direct  personal  union,  and  act,  not  upon 
us,  but  in  us  and  through  us,  becoming  part  of  our  very 
life,  and  controlling  every  faculty,  volition,  and  power, 
from  the  inmost  depths  of  our  being.  This  is  the  dif- 
ference between  the  two  classes  of  Christians  we  find  to- 
day ;  those  who  have  God  with  them,  and  those  who  have 
Him  in  them. 

It  may  not  be  possible  to  explain  it.  It  certainly  is 
impossible  to  make  spiritual  mysteries  plain  to  any  that 
have  not  experienced  them.  It  is  difficult  to  explain  how 
the  sunshine  enters  into  the  midst  of  the  flower  and 
manifests  itself  in  all  the  living  beauties  and  tints  of  the 
blossom ;  how  the  water  saturates  the  ground  and  comes 
forth  again  in  the  leaf,  and  laden  fruit;  how  the  in- 
fluence and  image  and  personality  of  a  friend  becomes  a 
part  of  our  very  being,  until  we  think  as  he  thinks,  and 
act  under  his  influence.  These  are  but  distant  approxi- 
mations to  the  blessed  mystery  of  the  Holy  Ghost's  enter- 
ing, as  a  Person,  into  the  life  and  being  of  a  consecrated 
disciple  and  controlling  every  choice,  affection,  thought 
and  action,  and  thus  fulfilling  His  own  promise,  **I  will 
dwell  in  you  and  walk  in  you,"  "And  I  will  put  My 
Spirit  within  you,  and  I  will  cause  you  to  walk  in  My 
statutes,  and  ye  shall  keep  My  judgments,  and  do  them. ' ' 


fchall 
Tes- 


^ 


III. 


THE   DURATION   OF  THIS  ABIDING. 


(( 


He  shall  abide  with  you  forever." 
The  Holy  Ghost  comes  to  stay.     He  seals  the  heart 
unto  the  day  of  redemption.     He  takes  possession  of  it 


t 


60 


POWER  Fi:OM  ON  TTIGII 


r  I 


to  depart  no  more.  We  may  grieve  Ilini;  we  may  lose 
the  consciousness  of  His  approval ;  but  He  has  loved  us 
with  an  everlasting  love,  and  we  are  kept  by  His  power 
through  faith  unto  salvation. 

There  are  some  who  tell  us  that  the  Holy  Ghost  will 
leave  the  world  at  the  coming  of  Christ.  This  is  not  the 
promise  of  the  Master.  '*He  shall  abide  with  you  for- 
ever." Even  when  Jesus  comes,  He  will  still  remain. 
For  through  those  dark  tribulation  days,  tliere  will  be 
souls  on  earth  that  need  His  consolation,  His  keeping 
and  His  help;  He  will  linger  with  them  through  the 
darkness,  and  then,  through  the  millennial  age,  He  will 
co-operate  with  Christ  as  He  did  during  the  days  of  His 
earthly  ministry,  in  bringing  this  world  into  harmony 
with  the  will  of  God,  and  establishing  the  dominion  of 
righteousness  throughout  the  utmost  limits  of  the  crea- 
tion. 

We  do  not  dishonor  the  work  of  the  Spirit  when  we 
pray  for  Christ  to  come.  The  grandest  theatre  of  His 
work  will  be  in  these  millennial  days,  for  which  we  are 
looking  forward  with  longing  and  prayer. 


IV. 

HIS  RELATION  TO  JESUS  CHRIST. 

"Whom  the  Father  will  send  in  My  name,"  that  is, 
in  My  character,  to  represent  Me.  He  will  be  ''another 
Comforter."  He  is  to  correspond  in  His  relation  to  us 
to  what  Christ  was,  but  He  is  to  be  a  substitute  for 
Christ,  a  successor  to  Christ,  and,  indeed,  more  to  us 
than  Christ  could  continue  to  be.  "It  is  expedient  for 
you  that  I  go  away:  for  if  I  go  not  away,  the  Com- 
forter will  not  come;  but  if  I  depart,  I  will  send  Him 
unto  you." 

Oh,  how  precious  His  presence  mast  be,  if  it  can  be 
more  than  Christ's  presence  was!  Can  we  conceive  how 
much  Jesus  was  to  these  disciples  T    More  than  a  mother 


THE  COMFORTER 


61 


to  her  child,  more  than  a  shepherd  to  his  flock,  more 
than  a  ^niidc  throu<?h  the  pathless  desert,  more  than  a 
pilot  on  the  trackless  ocean. 

The  disciples  had  leaned  upon  Him,  lived  upon  Him, 
and  were  utterly  dependent  upon  Him  for  everything, 
and  yet  He  says,  "It  is  better  for  you  that  I  go,  for 
One  will  come  that  will  be  more  to  you  than  I  have  been 
in  all  these  relationships." 

Beloved,  is  the  Comforter  more  to  us  than  Jesus  was 
to  His  Galilean  followers?  Ah,  then  how  much  nioro 
you  have  to  learn  of  His  intimacy  and  His  ministry.  Is 
He  to  you  the  Counsellor  and  Companion  of  every  mo- 
ment, the  Leader  and  the  Guide  of  every  step,  the 
Teacher  of  all  you  know,  the  Substance  of  all  you  believe, 
the  Source  of  all  your  strength  and  joy  and  life?  This 
He  wants  to  be.  Christ  could  only  be  present  in  one 
place ;  but  He  can  be  everywhere.  Christ  spoke  to  them 
from  outside  their  natures.  He  speaks  from  within. 
Christ  was  to  a  certain  extent  a  physical  presence;  He 
is  a  spiritual,  that  enters  into  the  deepest  life  of  our 
being,  blends  with  every  consciousness  and  every  thought 
and  every  capacity  and  feeling. 

Was  He  so  to  supersede  and  substitute  Christ  as  to 
displace  Him?  Not  at  all.  On  the  contrary.  He  was  to 
make  Christ  more  real  than  He  had  ever  been.  Here 
is  the  great  mistake  that  many  are  liable  to  make  in  their 
zeal  for  the  honor  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  They  represent 
Christ  as  far  away  at  the  right  hand  of  God,  and  they 
think  they  honor  the  Spirit  when  they  exclude  the  per- 
sonal pre'^jnce  of  the  Master. 

This  was  not  the  way  the  Saviour  taught,  and  this  is 
not  the  way  the  Spirit  comes.  Nay,  listen,  "He  shall 
testify  of  Me,  He  shall  not  speak  of  Himself."  "I  will 
not  leave  you  comfortless,  I  will  come  to  you."  "At  that 
day  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  in  the  Father,  and  ye  in 
Me,  and  I  in  you." 


':W 


62 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


"He  that  hath  my  commandments,  and  keepeth  them, 
he  it  is  that  loveth  me ;  and  lie  that  hjveth  me  shall  be 
loved  of  my  Father,  and  I  will  love  him,  and  will  mani- 
fest myself  to  him.  If  a  man  love  me  he  will  keep  my 
words ;  and  my  Father  will  love  him,  and  we  will  come 
unto  him,  and  make  our  abode  with  him." 

It  is  not  possible  to  read  these  verses  and  not  see  that 
the  personal  and  conscious  presence  of  Jesus  Christ  is 
to  be  ever  with  His  people  through  the  ministry  of  the 
Comforter.  Indeed,  the  great  business  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  is  to  stand  behind  the  scenes  and  make  Jesus  real. 
Just  as  the  telescope  reveals  not  itself,  but  the  stars 
beyond,  so  Christ  is  revealed  by  the  blessed  Spirit,  as  the 
medium  of  our  spiritual  vision. 

Just  as  the  atmosphere  can  bring  yonder  sun  down 
until  he  is  nearer  to  us  here  than  if  we  went  up  into 
the  air  to  meet  him,  so  the  Holy  Ghost,  God's  divine 
medium  for  the  revelation  of  spiritual  realities,  brings 
Christ  from  the  throne,  until  distance  is  annihilated  and 
space  has  no  power  to  divide. 

Surely,  if  a  human  telephone  or  telegraph  can  sweep 
at  a  flash  or  by  a  wave  of  sound  across  intervening  space 
and  bring  the  distant  near,  it  is  not  hard  for  the  divine 
Author  of  light  and  life,  and  all  creation,  to  open  a  line 
of  communication  from  earth  to  heaven,  so  that  we  may 
dwell  in  the  heavenlies,  and  the  living  realities  of  that 
v^orld  be  within  whispering  distance  of  our  quickened 
souls. 

It  is  even  so.  Through  the  telephone  of  prayer,  we  may 
catch  the  very  voice  of  our  absent  Master,  and  be  con- 
scious of  the  heart-throbs  of  His  love;  we  may  even  go 
on  into  the  presence  of  the  spirits  of  the  just  made  per- 
fect, and  almost  hear  the  songs  that  echo  around  the 
throne.  Yes,  He  is  with  us  still,  *  *  all  the  days  even  unto 
the  end  of  the  age."  The  presence  of  the  Comforter  but 
makes  Him  nearer  and  dearer,  and  enables  us  to  realize 
and  know  that  we  are  in  Him,  and  He  in  us. 


THE  COMFOKTER 


63 


nay 
on- 
go 
er- 
the 
nto 
but 
llize 


V. 


THE  SPIRIT  AS  A  TEACHER. 


■4 


Not  only  does  He  reveal  the  person  of  Christ,  but  He 
reveals  the  truth  which  Christ  only  began  to  teach.  "He 
will  guide  you  into  all  truth,  He  will  teach  you  all 
things."  "I  have  many  things  to  say  unto  you,  but  ye 
cannot  bear  them  now,  howbeit  when  He,  the  Spirit  of 
truth,  is  come.  He  will  guide  you  into  all  truth ;  for  He 
shall  not  speak  of  His  own  knowledge;  but  that  which 
He  shall  hear  He  shall  speak." 

And  so  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  Author  of  the  Scriptures, 
is  the  Illuminator  and  Teacher  of  the  Word.  He  makes 
the  truth  clear,  intelligible,  and  intensely  real,  just  as 
you  have  seen  on  some  great  occasion  the  metal  frames, 
where  some  grand  illumination  was  to  take  place ;  and  it 
seemed  to  you,  in  the  light  of  day,  that  the  forms  of 
men  and  the  figures  r  ^Towns  and  stars  and  processions 
could  be  dimly  trac  ii  that  network  of  leaden  pipes, 
erected  above  the  triumphal  arch,  but  it  was  dull  and  dim 
to  you  and  made  little  impression  upon  your  senses  or 
your  mind.  But  wait  till  evening,  till  the  sun  goes  down, 
and  a  flash  of  light  bursts  over  that  dead  framework. 
Lo !  in  a  moment  it  is  lighted  up,  and  you  see  the  figure 
of  the  military  hero,  the  glowing  crown  with  its  many 
colored  jewels,  the  procession  of  living  forms  and  all 
the  pageant  of  a  grand  triumph.  The  light  has  done  it 
all. 

And  so  this  Holy  Book  needs  to  be  lighted  up  by  the 
Holy  Ghost,  and  then  we  do  not  read  the  Bible  from  a 
sense  of  duty;  it  speaks  to  us  as  the  living  message  from 
our  Master,  the  love  letter  of  our  Bridegroom's  heart. 

Then  how  gentle  and  patient  the  Holy  Ghost  is  in 
teaching  us !  He  will  guide  us  into  all  truth.  He  knows 
how  fast  we  can  go,  and  He  does  not  cram  us ;  but  He 
suits  the  word  to  the  action,  and  the  action  to  the  word, 


64 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


and  fits  Ilis  teacliing  into  the  framework  of  our  lives, 
making?  truth  real,  day  by  day,  *'line  upon  line,  preeei)t 
upon  precept,  here  a  little  and  there  a  little,"  until  He 
has  led  us  on  to  the  graduating  class,  and  fitted  us  for  the 
maturer  tasks  of  the  school  of  faith. 

How  much  He  left  to  be  revealed  in  the  later  epistles 
and  the  Apocalypse  that  they  could  not  then  endure! 
And  how  much  truth  He  keeps  back  from  us,  until  we 
are  ready  not  only  to  understand  it,  but  fully  to  obey  it 
and  translate  it  into  the  living  characters  of  our  ex- 
perience I 


VI. 


THE  HOLY  GHOST  AS  A  REMINDER  OP  TRUTH. 

"He  shall  bring  all  things  to  your  remembrance  what- 
soever I  have  said  unto  you." 

Not  only  does  He  teach  us,  but  He  quickens  our  intel- 
lect to  remember  and  to  learn.  He  is  the  Author  and  the 
Illuminator  of  the  mind,  and  He  is  the  Spirit  of  sug- 
gestion. He  knows  how  to  bring  back  forgotten  truths  in 
the  moment  of  need.  He  knows  how  to  suggest  the  prom- 
ise in  the  time  of  depression.  He  knows  how  to  say,  "It 
is  written,"  and  put  into  our  hand  the  sword  of  the 
Spirit,  when  the  adversary's  wiles  are  trying  and  per- 
plexing us. 

He  knows  how  to  "waken  our  ear,  morning  by  morn- 
ing, to  hear  as  one  that's  been  instructed,  that  we 
might  know  how  to  speak  a  word  in  season  to  Him  that 
is  weary."  He  knows  how  to  give  the  appropriate  mes- 
sage for  the  fitting  time,  and  then  to  bless  it  and  send 
it  home  with  lasting  power. 

Let  us  trust  Him  to  guide  us,  to  speak  through  us, 
triumph  through  us,  and  to  be  our  monitor  and  mother 
until  all  the  mazes  of  life  shall  have  been  passed. 


m] 


THE  COMFORTER 


65 


per- 

Imorn- 
lat  we 
that 
mes- 
send 

?h  us, 
lother 


VII. 
TUB  HOLY  SI'UIIT  AS  THE  SPIRIT  OP  POWER  FOR  SERVICE. 

"lie  will  convict  the  world  of  sin,  and  of  righteous- 
ness, and  of  judgment."  "We  can  rebuke  the  world  but 
He  alone  can  convict  it. 

He  can  make  our  expression,  our  words,  our  aetiwis, 
awaken  in  the  hearts  of  men  a  sense  of  sin,  and  a  realiza- 
tion of  eternity. 

llo  can  bring  the  message  to  the  conscience  and  press 
the  will  to  the  great  decision,  and  make  our  words  ve- 
hicles for  His  power.  Then  He  alone  ^an  convict  of 
righteousness,  and  so  reveal  Christ  that  it  shall  not  be 
merely  reformation  and  self-improvement,  but  true  re- 
pentance, faith  and  reliance  upon  the  finished  work  of 
Jesus  Christ.  He  can  convict  the  world  of  judgment. 
He  can  pass  sentence  of  death  on  self,  sin,  and  the  world, 
and  separate  men  from  this  present  evil  world  for  the 
kingdom  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

He  can  take  men  out  of  the  power  of  the  prince  of  this 
world,  and  introduce  them  into  the  kingdom  of  God's 
dear  Son.  He  can  give  victory  over  Satan  and  finish  the 
work  which  He  begins. 

Oh,  how  helpless  all  our  work  without  Him!  Oh, 
how  He  waits  to  show  us  the  great  things  that  He  is 
willing  yet  to  do,  not  only  for  us  but  for  the  world  I 

VIII. 

Finally,  He  is  the  Spirit  of  hope,  and  the  promise  and 
the  realization  of  the  future.  He  will  show  you  things  to 
come. 

Oh,  how  this  promise  was  to  be  fulfilled  in  the  later 
teachings  of  the  epistles  and  the  Apocalypse,  concerning 
the  bles.sed  hope  of  the  Lord's  coming!  And  the  same 
Spirit  that  has  given  the  light  of  prophecy,  can  give  the 
light  of  interpretation  and  the  life  of  faith  and  living 
hope!    He  alone  can  make  these  things  real  to  us;    He 


'    '  -^^ 


66 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


alone  can  center  our  liopos  and  hearts  in  the  blessed  hope 
of  Christ's  coming,  and  the  throne  of  His  Ascension. 

It  is  not  enough  merely  to  know  that  Christ  is  coming, 
and  to  desire  it,  but  it  is  a  great  crisis  in  the  life  of  a 
soul  when  it  becomes  truly  centered  there,  when  the 
source  of  attraction  is  removed  from  the  earth  to  the 
heavens,  and  when  it  learns  to  live  under  the  power  of 
the  world  to  come.  It  is  one  thing  to  be  lifting  up  the 
world  from  the  earth  side,  it  is  another  thing  to  be  draw- 
ing up  the  world  from  the  heaven  side.  It  is  one  thing 
to  be  a  man  on  the  earth,  living  for  the  glory;  it  is  an- 
other thing  to  be  a  man  in  the  glory,  living  for  the 
world.  We  must  be  taken  out  of  the  world  fir&t,  and  then 
sent  back  into  it,  to  be  any  blessing  to  it. 

The  reason  that  Christ  knew  how  to  live  was  because 
He  did  not  belong  here.  The  Father  had  sent  Him  from 
heaven,  and  we  must  be  sent  from  heaven,  too,  and  work 
on  earih  as  men  that  dwell  in  heaven.  Oh,  may  the 
Spirit  so  show  us  things  to  come  that  we  shall  have  our 
jenter  in  the  throne  of  our  ascended  Lord,  and  with 
Him  see  and  live  and  work  to  save  the  world  in  which, 
for  a  little  while,  we  sojourn  1 


Ml 


i 


CHAPTER  VII. 
WAITING  FOR  THE  SPIRIT. 

*' Tarry  ye  in  the  city  of  Jerusalem,  until  ye  be  endued  with, 
power  from  on  high."  "Wait,"  saith  He,  "for  the  promise  of 
the  Father,  which  ye  have  heard  of  Me."  "And  when  the  day 
of  Pentecost  was  fully  come,  they  were  all  with  one  accord  in  one 
place." 

THESE  three  passages  all  suggest  a  single  and  very 
definite  thought, — waiting  on  God  for  the  filling  of 
the  Holy  Ghost. 
The  law  of  time  is  an  important  factor  both  in  nature 
and  in  grace.  There  are  some  operations  which  are  in- 
stantaneous, but  there  are  many  more  that  require  the 
lapse  of  time  and  the  process  of  development.  The  prin- 
ciple of  vegetation  is  gradual,  unfolding  first  the  blade, 
then  the  ear,  after  that  the  full  corn  in  the  ear.  Winter 
id  as  needful  as  spring  to  fertilize  the  ground,  and  the 
seed  must  lie  silent  in  the  soil  until  it  germinates  and 
springs  into  the  blade  and  the  blossom. 

And  so,  in  the  spiritual  world,  there  is  a  place  for 
waiting.  God's  work  of  creation  was  not  instantaneous 
but  successive.  The  promise  of  the  coming  Redeemer 
waited  for  four  thousand  years.  Abraham  waited  for 
the  fulfillment  of  the  promise  of  his  son.  Moses  waited 
forty  years  before  he  could  go  forth  to  the  great  work  of 
His  life.  Jesus  waited  for  thirty  years  to  begin  His 
public  ministry. 

The  promises  of  God  are  for  those  that  wait  for  Him ; 
and  the  spiritual  life  which,  in  some  respects  is  instan- 
taneous in  its  operations,  in  others,  is  progressive.  There 
is  a  moment  when  we  definitely  receive  the  Holy  Ghost; 
but  there  is  a  preparation  for  His  coming,  and  a  waiting 
for  His  fullness  for  us,  just  as  much  as  for  Jesus  and 
Moses.    Doubtless  there  is  a  sense  in  which  they  waited, 


68 


POWEK  FROM  ON  HIGH 


1 


1;  ,!^    I 


which,  cannot  be  true  of  us.  For  them  the  Holy  Ghost 
was  not  yet  sent  from  heaven.  The  day  of  Pentecost  was 
the  moment  of  His  arrival  on  earth.  Up  to  that  moment 
He  had  resided  in  the  person  of  Jesus,  now  He  was  to 
reside  in  his  Body,  the  Church,  and  the  earth  was  to  be 
His  home.  In  that  sense  we  cannot  wait  for  the  coming 
of  the  Comforter,  for  He  has  come  and  He  is  here. 

But  even  if  the  Holy  Ghost  had  come  to  earth  already, 
that  very  same  command  would  still  have  been  given  to 
the  disciples  to  wait  in  the  upper  room.  There  was  a 
preparation  on  their  part,  just  as  necessary  as  the 
Spirit's  coming  from  heaven  to  earth.  And  there  is  a 
preparation  on  our  part  just  as  necessary^  in  these  days. 

It  is  important,  however,  that  we  understand  the  true 
nature  of  this  waiting.  It  is  not  waiting  for  the  Lord, 
but  it  is  waiting  on  the  Lord.  It  is  not  looking  forward 
to  a  distant  blessing,  but  it  is  continuing  in  the  attitude 
of  receiving  and  claiming  the  blessing,  and  giving  time 
for  the  Holy  Spirit  to  fill  the  waiting  heart  with  all 
His  fullness. 

It  is  more  than  expectation  of  a  future  blessing.  It 
is  rather  accepting  a  present  blessing,  and  yet  a  blessing 
so  large  and  full,  that  it  cannot  be  taken  by  us  in  all  its 
completeness  in  a  moment  of  time,  but  requires  the  open- 
ing of  every  vessel  of  our  being,  and  the  continuance  of 
our  heart  in  the  attitude  of  receiving. 

The  Master  is  calling  us,  as  He  called  them  to  these 
seasons  of  waiting,  and  there  are  deep  reasons  in  the 
principles  that  underlie  all  Christian  experience,  which 
will  show  the  importance  and  necessity  of  our  thus  wait- 
ing on  the  Lord. 

I. 

This  season  of  waiting  on  the  Lord  was  fitted  and 
designed  to  mark  a  great  transition  in  their  lives,  an 
epoch  of  spiritual  new  daoarturq,  an  area  of  the  chro- 


t' 


} 


It 


hcse 
the 
hich 
svait- 


and 
an 
»iiro- 


WAITING  FOR  THE  SPIRIT 


69 


nology  of  the  heart.  God  wants  His  people  to  have  such 
epochs  and  such  eras. 

As  we  read  the  records  of  geology  we  find  that  the 
surface  of  our  globe  has  been  formed  by  successive  layers, 
between  which  can  be  traced  successive  breaks.  There 
is  a  stratum  of  rock,  and  then  there  is  a  stratum  of  wreck 
and  conglomerate  masses,  between  the  layers  of  previous 
strata. 

It  is  so  in  spiritual  life.  These  days  of  waiting  lead 
us  to  new  planes  and  new  advances.  Sometimes  it  is 
very  desirable  that  there  should  be  a  complete  break, 
that  we  may  get  out  of  the  old  ruts,  and  be  free  to  take 
a  higher  place,  and  make  a  bolder  advance. 

In  music  one  of  the  most  effective  things  is  the  em- 
phatic pause.  The  word  ''Selah"  in  the  book  of  Psalms 
expresses  this  pause,  and  in  order  to  the  effectiveness  of 
such  a  pause  it  cannot  be  too  complete  a  silence.  Then 
the  chorus  which  follows  has  a  double  emphasis.  And 
so  the  Holy  Ghost  has  given  us  our  Selahs  in  the  chorus 
of  spiritual  life,  emphatic  pauses  when  God  wants  us  to 
be  still  and  listen  to  Him,  and  break  away  from  old 
ideas  and  measures,  and  reach  out  into  the  larger  fullness 
of  His  thought  and  will. 

II. 

This  time  of  waiting  on  God  was  also  necessary  in 
order  to  teach  them  the  greatest  lesson  of  the  Christian 
life — to  cease  from  themselves.  The  greatest  danger 
about  these  men  was  not  in  what  they  might  fail  to  do, 
but  in  what  they  might  try  to  do.  The  greatest  harm 
that  we  can  do  is  the  attempt  to  do  anything  at  all  when 
we  are  not  prepared,  and  when  we  do  not  understand 
our  Master's  will.  Suppose  a  regiment  of  soldiers  should 
start  off  without  their  captain's  orders,  or  their  neces- 
sary equipment  or  artillery;  the  next  attempt  of  the 
army  would  be  rendered  more  hopeless  by  their  rash  ex- 
posure and  needless  failure. 


K1 


70 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


I 


1 


n 


r  i 


And  so  the  Master  wants  to  keep  us  from  doing  any- 
thing, until  we  are  prepared  to  go  forth  in  His  strength 
and  victory.  Our  hardest  lesson  to  learn  is  to  unlearn, 
and  to  know  our  utter  helplessness  and  wretchedness. 

The  deepest  experience  into  which  they  had  to  enter 
was  self-crucifixion,  and  crucifixion  is  the  death  not  only 
of  the  evil  self,  but  of  the  strong  and  self-sufficient  self. 

Peter  had  not  yet  learned  to  be  still,  for  before  these 
waiting  days  were  over  we  find  him  rushing  again  to  the 
front,  and  proposing  the  election  of  a  new  disciple,  with- 
out the  divine  direction  or  recognition.  The  best  that 
can  be  said  of  his  work  is  that  it  did  no  harm  if  it  did  no 
good,  for  God  never  afterwards  seems  to  have  recog- 
nized the  apostle  that  Peter  led  tlie  brethren  to  choose, 
but  in  His  own  time  He  called  His  own  apostle. 

And  so  it  was  necessary  that  these  days  should  be 
spent  in  waiting  and  learning  to  be  silent,  and  forming 
the  habit  of  the  suspension  of  our  own  activity,  and  the 
dependence  of  our  will  entirely  upon  the  direction  of 
the  Holy  Ghost.  There  are  times  when  the  most  masterly 
thing  we  can  exercise  is  inactivity,  and  there  are  times 
when  the  most  mischievious  thing  we  can  do  is  to  do 
anything  at  all. 

That  is  a  most  instructive  story  that  is  told  of  the 
nervous  passenger  on  board  a  vessel  in  a  dangerous 
urorm,  who  was  running  about  the  deck  in  every  direc- 
tion, and  asking  the  captain  what  he  could  do  to  save  the 
ship  from  going  to  the  bottom ;  at  last  the  captain,  more 
alarmed  by  him  than  by  the  tempest,  fearing  that  he 
would  drive  the  passengers  into  a  panic,  called  him  to  his 
side  and  said,  *'Yes,  you  can  help  me  immensely  if  you 
will  just  hold  that  rope  hard  and  firm ;  and  don 't  let  it 
go  until  T  tell  you!"  He  eagerly  grasped  the  rope  and 
held  it  tight  and  steady  until  the  storm  was  past,  and 
then  he  walked  about  the  deck  boasting  that  he  had  saved 
the  ship,  until  the  captain,  hearing  of  this,  came  up  and, 
looking  at  him  with  a  twinkle  in  his  eye,  said,  *'Why, 


WAITING  FOE  THE  SPIRIT 


71 


be 


do  you  know  the  reason  I  gave  you  that  rope  to  hold  was 
to  keep  you  quiet  ?  The  only  good  you  did  by  holding  on 
so  steadily  was  that  you  were  kept  from  doing  any  mis- 
chief." 

Ah,  how  much  mischief  we  do  by  doing  our  own 
work!  IIow  long  it  took  God  to  teach  Abraham  to  be 
still !  How  long  Abraham  tried  to  help  God  to  the  ful- 
fillment of  His  own  promise!  Then  he  got  Sarah  into 
his  counsel,  and  then  he  took  Hagar  into  partnership, 
and  out  of  it  came  Ishmael.  Out  of  Ishmael  came  noth- 
ing but  sorrow  and  hindrance,  until,  after  a  quarter  of 
a  century  had  been  spent,  God  quietly  fulfilled  His  own 
promise  in  His  own  way. 

How  long  it  took  Moses  to  learn  to  be  still!  Forty 
years  he  had  to  wait  in  the  desert  until  all  his  young- 
mannishness  had  died,  and  his  precocious  activity  had 
been  changed  into  modesty  and  even  timidity;  then, 
when  Moses  strank  back  and  asked  God  to  send  someone 
else,  Moses  was  small  enough  and  still  enough  for  God 
to  use  for  His  people's  deliverance.  And  so,  when  he 
came  to  the  gates  of  deliverance,  his  first  lesson  was  to 
** stand  still  and  see  the  salvation  of  God;"  to  do  nothing 
but  wait  for  Him,  and  then  God  stepped  upon  the  scene, 
and  did  the  work  Himself. 

God  cannot  use  us  until  we  come  to  the  end  of  our- 
selves, and  see  our  utter  worthlessness,  and  helplessness, 
and  then  put  on  His  mighty  strength,  and  go  forth,  cry- 
ing, **I  am  not  sufficient  even  to  think  anything  as  of 
myself;   but  my  sufficiency  is  of  God." 


■  j 


it 
Ind 
nd 
red 


III. 

These  waiting  daj^s  were  necessary  to  enable  the  dis- 
ciples to  realize  their  need,  their  nothingness,  their  fail- 
ure and  their  dependence  upon  the  Master.  They  had  to 
get  emptied  first,  before  they  could  get  filled.  Oh,  how 
o^'ten  they  must  have  thought,  as  those  days  went  by,  of 
the  positions  they  were  now  to  occupy,  the  responsibility 


72 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


ll 


that  was  resting  upon  them,  the  charge  that  the  Master 
had  committed  to  them,  and  their  utter  inability  for  it 
all !  How  they  must  have  recalled  their  folly,  their  un- 
belief, their  strife,  their  seljSshness,  their  fears,  their 
defeats,  and  shrunk  back  into  nothingness,  and  even 
stood  aghast  at  the  prospect  before  them,  until  in  the 
very  dust  they  cried  to  Him  for  help  and  strength 
needed. 

And  so  God  wants  us  to  go  apart  and  quietly  wait 
upon  Him,  until  He  searches  into  the  depths  of  our  being, 
and  shows  us  our  folly,  our  failures,  our  need.  There  is 
no  wiser  nor  better  thing  to  do  on  the  eve  of  a  season  of 
blessing  than  to  make  an  inventory,  not  of  our  riches,  but 
of  our  poverty ;  to  count  up  all  the  voids  and  vacuums 
and  places  of  insuflSxjiency ;  to  make  the  valley  full  of 
ditches,  and  then  to  bring  to  God  the  depths  of  our  need 
for  Him  to  till. 

And  it  takes  time  to  make  this  work  thorough.  It 
takes  time  to  burn  it  into  our  consciousness.  It  takes 
time  to  make  us  feel  it.  It  is  one  thing  to  know  in  a 
general  way  our  need  and  failure;  it  is  quite  another 
thing  to  realize  it,  to  mourn  over  it,  to  be  distressed 
about  it,  and  to  be  filled  with  sorrow  and  shame  and  that 
holy  zeal  and  revenge  upon  ourselves  which  the  apostle 
tells  us  is  part  of  true  repentdncc. 

In  the  golden  stairway  of  the  Beatitudes,  the  first 
promise  is  to  those  that  are  poor  in  spirit;  but  there  is 
another  step  still  deeper  down  on  the  way  to  God,  and 
that  is  ** Blessed  are  they  that  mourn."  It  is  needful 
that  we  shall  mourn  over  our  poverty,  that  we  shall  real- 
ize our  need,  that  we  shall  be  deeply  troubled  over  our 
spiritual  wretchedness,  and  that  we  shall  come  with  such 
hunger  that  nothing  less  than  all  the  fullness  of  Christ 
can  ever  satisfy  us  again. 

There  are  some  spiritual  conditions  that  cannot  be  ac- 
complished in  a  moment.  The  breaking  up  of  the  fallow 
ground  takes  time ;  the  frosts  of  winter  are  as  necessary 


i 


WAITING  FOR  THE  SPIRIT 


73 


ac- 
low 
ary 


as  the  rains  of  spring  to  prepare  the  soil  for  fertility. 
God  has  to  break  our  hearts  to  pieces  by  the  slow  proces- 
ses of  His  discipline,  and  grind  every  particle  to  powder, 
and  then  to  mellow  us,  and  saturate  us  with  His  blessed 
Spirit,  until  we  are  open  for  the  blessing  He  has  to  give 
us.  Oh,  let  us  wait  upon  the  Lord  with  brokenness  of 
heart,  with  openness  of  soul,  with  willingness  of  spirit, 
to  hear  what  God  the  Lord  will  say ! 

IV. 

These  days  of  waiting  are  important  also  that  we  may 
listen  to  God's  voice.  We  are  so  busy  that  we  cannot 
hear.  We  talk  so  much  that  we  give  Him  no  chance  to 
talk  to  us.  He  wants  us  to  hearken  to  what  He  has  to 
say  to  us.  He  wants  us  on  our  faces  before  Him,  that 
He  may  give  us  His  thouglit.  His  prayer,  His  longing, 
and  then  lead  us  into  His  better  will. 

And  if  He  keeps  us  waiting  long,  we  know  the  message 
when  it  comes  will  be  worth  all  the  delay.  **If  He 
tarry,  let  us  wait  for  Him."  Only  a  few  times  did  He 
speak  to  Abraham.  Only  a  few  times  did  He  speak  to 
Paul.  But  these  were  messages  that  will  live  for  ever, 
and  their  echoes  have  sounded  through  all  the  years, 
and  will  resound  from  the  ages  yet  to  come. 

Let  us  wait  upon  God,  not  so  much  in  prayer  as  in 
hearkening. 

V. 

God  wants  us  to  wait  upon  Him  also  that  we  may 
realize  not  only  our  need,  but  His  fullness  and  His  will 
for  us.  He  wants  to  show  us  the  vision  of  the  future  as 
well  as  of  the  past.  He  wants  to  open  to  us  the  treasures 
of  His  grace,  and  make  us  know  all  the  riches  of  the 
glory  of  His  inheritance  in  us. 

He  wants  to  lift  up  our  eyes  northward  and  south- 
ward and  eastward  and  westward,  and  then  say  to  us, 
**A11  the  land  which  thou  seest,  to  thee  will  I  give  it." 


■■im 


n 


74 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


He  wants  to  give  us  the  vision  of  the  King  in  His  beauty 
and  the  land  of  far  distances.  He  wants  to  reveal  to  us 
yet  unexplored  regions  of  glorious  advances  in  the  life 
of  faith.  He  wants  to  call  us  to  higher  service,  and  show 
us  mightier  resources  and  enablings  for  the  work  of  life. 

Oh,  it  is  so  sweet  to  wait  upon  the  Lord  and  dwell  on 
high,  to  survey  the  mountain  peaks  of  His  glorious  grace 
and  look  out  on  the  boundless  fullness  of  His  promises 
and  His  power,  and  to  hear  Him  say,  ^ '  Call  unto  Me,  and 
I  will  answer  thee,  and  show  thee ' '  not  merely  the  things 
thou  hast  seen,  but  ''great  and  hidden  things  which  thou 
knowest  not!" 

This  is  the  waiting  to  which  He  is  calling  us  today. 
God  grant  that  these  days  before  us  may  bring  the  vision, 
and  then  the  victory ! 


fe 


sh 


I   v\ 


V      I 


VI. 

Waiting  on  the  Lord  is  not  only  a  preparation  for 
the  Holy  Spirit,  but  is  a  process  of  receiving  the  Holy 
Spirit.  There  is  a  cumulative  power  in  waiting  prayer 
to  bring  the  answer  and  the  blessing,  breath  by  breath 
\nd  moment  by  moment.  God 's  blessing  is  too  vast  and  our 
capacity  is  too  great  to  be  filled  in  a  moment.  We  must 
drink,  and  drink,  and  drink  again,  and  yet  again,  if  we 
would  know  all  the  fullness  of  the  river  of  His  grace. 

Take  an  ash  barrel,  and  begin  to  pour  into  it  a  bucket 
of  water,  and  your  whole  bucket  will  be  exhausted  before 
the  water  has  made  the  slightest  impression;  the  ashes 
will  be  as  dry  as  at  first,  and  you  can  pour  bucket  after 
bucket,  and  still  the  ashes  be  as  dry  as  ever.  It  is  only 
when  the  barrel  has  been  filled  that  at  last  you  see  the 
first  trace  of  the  water  you  have  been  pouring  in.  That 
ash  heap  was  so  dry  that  it  could  only  be  saturated  by 
degrees  from  the  bottom  upwards;  and  it  is  only  when 
the  whole  body  has  been  saturated,  that  the  first  evidence 
appears. 


li 


WAITING  FOR  THE  SPIEIT 


75 


And  so  our  hearts  are  so  dry,  that  we  need  to  wait 
upon  the  Lord  for  days  and  days  before  there  is  any 
impression.  But  all  the  while  the  dry  ground  is  filling, 
and  the  thirsty  soil  is  absorbing,  and  after  the  waiting  is 
completed  we  shall  know  that  it  was  not  in  vain;  we 
shall  realize  that  not  one  breath  of  prayer  was  vainly 
spent;  we  shall  find  that  every  moment  was  storing  up 
the  treasures  of  His  grace  and  power  in  the  depths  of 
our  being. 

Beloved,  we  do  not  wait  enough  upon  the  Lord.  We 
do  not  spend  sufficient  time  at  the  Mercy  Seat.  We  al- 
low the  rush  and  hurry  of  life  to  drive  us  off,  and  we  lose 
time  instead  of  gaining  it,  by  our  reckless  haste. 

Yes,  that  is  an  instructive  old  story  about  the  horse- 
man parsued  by  his  foes,  who  found  his  trusted  charger 
beginning  to  fail  in  the  race,  for  one  of  the  shoes  upon 
his  feet  had  been  detached,  and  he  was  slipping  upon 
the  rocky  path.  Suddenly  the  horseman  dismounted  at 
the  blacksmith  shop,  where  the  two  ways  met,  and  al- 
though he  could  see  his  pursuers  over  yonder  hill,  bear- 
ing down  upon  him,  yet  he  waited  long  enough  to  shoe 
his  horse.  He  called  to  the  blacksmith,  "Be  quick,"  as 
he  threw  him  a  coin  of  tenfold  value;  and  the  sweating 
workman  filed  and  hammered  and  clinched  the  nails,  and 
did  his  work  fast  and  well.  And  when  the  last  nail  was 
turned,  and  the  fugitive  leaped  into  his  saddle,  the  hoofs 
of  his  pursuers  were  thundering  just  behind  him,  and  lie 
heard  their  shouts  of  triumph,  as  they  felt  they  had 
secured  their  prey. 

But  no!  he  leaped  into  his  saddle,  plunged  his  spurs 
into  his  horse's  haunches,  and  dashed  away  like  the 
lightning,  because  he  was  now  prepared  for  the  journey. 

Ah  yes,  he  gained  by  losing  time,  and  would  have  lost 
all  by  going  before  he  was  prepared.  0,  beloved,  "Tarry 
ye  in  the  city  of  Jerusalem,  until  ye  be  endued  with 
power  from  on  high."     "Wait  for  the  promise  of  the 


76 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


Father,  which  ye  have  heard  of  Him."    "In  quietness 
and  confidence  shall  be  your  strength." 

Without  the  Holy  Ghost  you  are  unequal  to  the  jour- 
ney of  life ;  you  are  unfit  for  the  service  of  the  Master ; 
you  are  unwarranted  in  attempting  to  preach  the  gospel, 
or  to  win  a  soul  for  Christ,  and  you  are  unprepared  for 
the  f utui  ^  which  He  is  immediately  opening  to  you.  Oh, 
let  us  wait  at  His  feet;  let  us  learn  our  weakness;  let 
us  realize  our  nothingness;  let  us  get  emptied  for  His 
filling,  and  then  baptized  with  the  Holy  Gliost  or  filled 
anew  with  His  utmost  fullness;  and  we  shall  go  forth 
not  to  our  work,  but  to  His,  and  find  that  **He  is  able 
to  do  exceeding  abundantly  above  all  that  we  ask  or 
think,  according  the  power  that  worketh  in  us.  To 
whom  be  glory  n^.v^  and  forever.    Amen." 


- 


less 

cur- 
ler; 
pel, 

for 
Oh, 

let 
His 
lied 
)rth 
able 
:  or 

To 


CHAPTER  VIII. 
POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH. 

**Ye  shall  receive  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  coming  upon 
you;  and  ye  shall  lio  witnesses  unto  me  both  in  Jerusalem,  and 
in  all  Judea,  and  in  iSamaria,  and  unto  the  uttermost  part  of  the 
earth. '  '—Acts  1 :  8. 

THE  greatest  need  of  human  nature  is  power.  Man 
is  weaker  than  all  other  creatures.  The  tiger's  cub 
is  able  to  take  care  of  itself,  but  the  human  being 
spends  one-third  of  an  ordinary  lifetime  before  he 
reaches  maturity. 

He  is  the  prey  of  all  the  elements  around  him,  and 
morally  he  is  much  weaker  still.  In  his  heart  are  ele- 
ments of  evil  that  drag  him  downward,  and  around  him 
a  thousand  inliuences  that  lead  him  astray. 

There  is  unspeakable  pathos  in  the  cry  of  a  poor, 
sinning  woman  who  once  said  in  a  hospital,  as  we  were 
pleading  with  her  to  do  right :  *  *  I  am  not  strong  enough 
to  be  good ; ' '  there  is  infinite  comfort  in  that  blessed  as- 
surance of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  "When  we  were  yet 
without  strength,  in  due  time  Christ  died  for  the  un- 
godly." 

The  gospel  is  a  message  of  strength.  *  *  It  is  the  power 
of  God  unto  salvation,  to  every  one  that  believeth. ' '  It 
is  the  special  ministry  of  the  Holy  Ghost  to  give  power 
from  on  high.  How  much  is  signified  in  this  mighty 
promise  ?  How  far  have  we  come  short  of  His  fullness  ? 
How  far  may  we  claim  its  fulfillment? 

We  cannot  find  a  better  answer  than  in  the  book  of 
Acts.  This  verse  is  the  keynote  and  the  table  of  con- 
tents. Every  word  in  this  verse  points  forward  to  a 
whole  section  of  the  book  which  follows. 

The  first  chapter  of  Acts  tell  us  the  story  of  the 
power.     The  next  chapters  tell  us  of  the   witnessing 

77 


78 


POWER  FROM  ON  IIICJI 


which  followed.  Thou  we  have  the  eiiureh  in  Jerusalem. 
Then  wo  have  the  gospel  in  all  Judea.  Then  we  have 
the  story  of  Samaria.  And  finally,  the  elosing  chapters 
are  wholly  devoted  to  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  unto 
the  uttermost  part  of  the  earth. 

"We  snail  not  attempt  now  to  trace  the  unfolding  of 
this  order  through  the  book  of  Acts,  but  shall  simply 
endeavor  to  illustrate  the  meaning  of  this  word  "power" 
by  the  facts  and  incidents  of  the  story  of  the  apostolic 
church,  as  given  in  the  book  of  Acts,  which  is  really  the 
story  of  the  acts  of  the  Holy  Ghost  more  than  the  acts 
of  the  apostles. 


THIS  IS  THE  POWER  OP  A  PERSON. 

The  right  translation  is,  ye  shall  receive  not  power, 
but  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  coming  upon  you. 
It  is  not  your  power,  but  His  power.  It  is  not  abstract 
power  under  your  control,  but  it  is  a  Person,  whose 
presence  with  you  is  necessary  to  your  possessing  and  re- 
taining the  power. 

He  has  the  power  and  you  have  Him.  In  the  science 
of  electricity,  it  has  been  found  that  the  best  form  in 
which  this  motive  power  can  be  used  to  run  our  street 
cars,  is  not  through  storage  batteries,  but  through  over- 
head wires.  The  power  is  not  stored  up  in  the  car,  but 
in  the  dynamo  and  the  wire,  and  the  car  just  draws  it 
from  above  by  constant  contact,  and  the  moment  it  lets 
go  its  touch  the  power  is  gone.  The  power  is  not  in  the 
car,  but  in  the  wire. 

And  so  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  is  power  from 
above.  It  is  not  our  power,  but  His,  and  received  from 
Him  moment  by  moment. 

In  order  to  receive  this  power  and  retain  it,  there  are 
certain  conditions  which  are  necessary.  One  of  thum  is 
that  we  shall  obey  Him  and  follow  His  directions.  We 
can  only  have  His  power  in  the  line  of  His  will.     The 


^ 


c 

i1 
t 


III 


,»» 


)llt 

It 

ets 
the 


rOWP]R  FROM  ON  ITTGII 


79 


car  can  only  draw  the  power  from  the  wire  in  so  far  as 
it  follows  the  track.  It  can  have  the  power  to  run  ak)ng 
the  hij^hway,  but  it  caiuiot  iuiv(!  it  to  run  into  the  ncM^h- 
borinj?  farms  and  follow  the  capricious  will  of  the  driver. 
The  Holy  Gliost  is  given  to  them  that  obey  Ilim,  and 
obedience  to  the  Holy  Ghost  is  a  much  larger  thing  than 
many  dream. 

It  is  not  merely  to  keep  from  doing  wrong  in  some 
little  contracted  sphere;  but  it  is  to  understand  and 
follow  the  whole  will  and  purpose  of  God  in  the  use  of 
this  divine  enduoment.  We  cannot  have  it  to  please  our- 
selves. We  cannot  have  it  to  please  ourselves  even  in  the 
mode  of  our  Christian  work.  We  can  only  enjoy  the 
fullness  of  the  Spirit,  in  so  far  as  we  use  this  fullness  for 
the  work  to  which  He  has  called  ns. 

This  verse  is  the  measure  and  the  limit  of  the  Spirit's 
power.  He  is  given  that  we  shall  be  witnesses  unto 
Christ,  both  "in  Jerusalem,  and  in  all  Judea,  and  in 
Samaria,  and  unto  the  uttermost  part  of  the  earth." 

We  can  only  know  the  fullness  of  the  Spirit's  power 
as  we  use  it  to  give  the  gospel  to  the  whole  world.  Only 
in  the  line  of  the  world's  evangelization  and  the  ful- 
fillment of  our  great  trust  can  the  church  of  God  ever 
realize  the  utmost  meaning  of  the  promise  of  Pentecost. 

II. 

IT  IS  THE  POWER  OP  HOLY  CHARACTER. 

It  is  not  primarily  power  for  service,  but  it  i.^  power 
to  receive  the  life  of  Christ ;  power  to  be,  rather  than  to 
say  and  to  do.  Our  service  and  testimony  will  be  the 
outcome  of  our  life  and  experience.  Our  works  and 
words  must  spring  from  our  inmost  being,  or  they  will 
have  little  power  or  efficacy.  "We  must  ourselves  be 
ta*ue,  if  we  the  truth  would  teach." 

The  change  produced  by  the  baptism  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  upon  the  first  disciples  was  more  remarkable  in 
their  cwn  lives  than  even  in  their  service  and  testimony. 


80 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


Peter,  the  irresolute  disciple, — always  running  ahead 
of  his  Master,  boasting  in  bis  self-confidence  of  what  he 
would  do  or  would  not  do,  and  then  running  away  at 
the  threat  of  a  servant  girl,  transformed  in*o  the  fearless 
hero,  who  stood  before  the  murderers  of  His  Lord  and 
charged  them  with  their  crime,  and  then  with  lowly 
spirit  and  humble  heart,  going  forth  to  walk  in  his  Mas- 
ter's  steps,  and  at  last  to  die  upon  his  Master's  cross 
with  downward  head, — is  a  greater  miracle  in  hh  per- 
sonal life  than  even  in  the  wondrous  power  of  his  public 
testimony. 

The  spirit  of  unselfish  love,  that  led  to  the  entire  con- 
secration of  all  their  means  to  the  service  of  Christ  and 
the  help  of  one  another,  was  an  example  that  could  not 
fail  to  impress  the  skeptical  and  selfish  world.  The 
*' great  grace"  that  was  upon  them  all  was  more  wonder- 
ful than  ''the  great  power"  with  which  tiwy  bore  wit- 
ness to  the  death  and  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ.  The 
heroic  fortitude  with  which  they  endured  unparalleled 
sufferings,  "rejoicing  that  they  were  counted  worthy  to 
suffer  shame  for  the  name  of  Jesus,"  was  an  exhibition 
of  power  that  no  man  can  gainsaj^  and  liarried  a  weight 
of  conviction  that  nothing  can  counterp*  ise. 

This  is  the  power  which  the  church  needs  today  to  con- 
vince an  unbciieving  world;  the  power  tliat  will  make 
us,  not  inspired  apostles,  but  "living  epistles,  known  and 
read  of  all  men."  Nothing  is  so  strong  as  the  intiuence 
of  a  consistent,  supernatural,  and  holy  character.  Many 
a  skeptic,  whom  all  the  books  in  the  universe  would 
never  have  convinced,  has  been  converted  by  the  sweet 
example  of  his  Christian  wife. 

Many  a  miss.onary  among  the  heathen  has  found  that 
the  failure  of  his  temper  and  spirit  has  done  more  in  a 
moment  to  counteract  all  his  teaching  thaji  years  could 
undo.  "He  that  keepeth  his  spirit  is  greater  than  he 
*hat  taketli  a  city."  And  the  power  that  can  surpass  the 
angrj'-  word,  and  stand  in  sweetness  ^n  the  hour  of  pro 


!  ! 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


81 


vocation  in  the  humble  kitchen  and  laundry,  has  often 
become  an  object  lesson  to  the  proud  and  cultured  mis- 
tress, until  her  heart  has  hungered  for  the  blessing  which 
has  made  her  lowly  servam's  life  a  mimairy  of  power, 
and  her  humble  heart  a  heaven  of  love. 


m. 

IT  IS  THE  PO^VKB  OF  TRUTH. 

The  Holy  Ghost  wo^-ks  through  the  Holy  Scriptures, 
and  so  the  baptism  ui  Pentecost  was  clearly  identified 
with  the  power  of  the  Word. 

The  very  first  thing  that  Peter  did  after  the  Holy 
Spirit  came  was  to  quote  the  Scriptures,  and  explain  the 
manifestation  from  God's  own  inspired  Word,  and  it 
was  a  Scriptural  sermon  which  wm  used  in  the  extra- 
ordinary conversions  of  that  day. 

If  you  will  carefully  notice  the  different  messages  of 
the  apostles,  you  will  find  that  in  every  instance  they 
made  large  use  of  the  Bible,  and  some  of  their  messages 
are  simply  statements  of  Scripture  and  quotations  from 
the  Old  Testament. 

The  Holy  Ghost  has  given  the  Holy  Scriptures  and 
will  never  dishonor  His  own  messa.|;e.  The  more  we 
know  of  Him,  the  more  will  we  honor  His  Word.  The 
Bible  must  ever  be  the  foundation  of  spiritual  power, 
and  the  instrument  of  spiritual  service;  but  it  must 
ever  be  in  the  power  of  the  Spirit.  "The  letter  killeth, 
but  the  Spirit  giveth  life." 

The  late  Dr.  Gordon  tells  of  a  Sabbath  he  spent 
abroad,  on  whi^-h  day  he  went  in  the  morning  to  hear  a 
distinguished  preacher  who  was  celebrated  for  his  Bib- 
lical knowledge.  He  came  home  delighted  with  the  clear 
and  brilliant  expositions  of  the  truth  that  he  had  heard, 
but  chilled  with  the  icy  coldness  of  the  message.  It  was 
true,  clear,  Scriptural  truth,  but  as  cold  as  an  iceberg. 

He  went  in  the  afternoon  to  hear  another  preacher 
distinguished  for  his  fervor,  and  he  came  back  delighted 
6 


82 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


with  the  earnestness  and  unction  of  the  preacher  but  it 
was  a  fire  of  shavings,  and  there  was  not  truth  enough 
in  it  to  make  it  lasting. 

He  went  again  at  night,  and  heard  a  third  preacher, 
and  he  came  away  not  only  instructed,  but  thrilled, 
because  this  sermon  had  been  not  only  an  exposition  of 
Scriptural  truth,  but  it  had  also  been  alive  with  the 
power  of  God  and  full  of  the  fire  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  It 
was  not  a  fire  of  shavings,  but  of  substantial  fuel,  and  it 
left  not  only  a  memory  of  truth,  but  a  glow  of  warmth 
that  filled  his  heart  with  joy  and  love.  This  is  the  power 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  speaking  the  truth  in  love;  the 
Bible  ablaze  with  holy  fire;  the  Word  of  God  dissolved 
in  unction  and  love,  until  it  can  be  observed  in  every 
fibre  of  our  being,  and  become  the  nutriment  of  our  life. 

IV. 
IT  IS  THE  POWER  OF  LOVE. 

The  baptism  of  Pentecost  was  a  baptism  of  love.  It 
brouglit  a  luve  to  God  that  annihilated  the  power  of  self. 
"Neither  said  any  of  them  that  aught  of  the  things  which 
he  possessed  was  his  own. ' '  Their  costliest  treasures  were 
yielded  up  to  God.  Their  wealth,  tlieir  homes,  were 
held  at  the  service  of  the  church  of  Christ. 

It  was  love  to  one  another,  and  they  were  so  absolutely 
bound  together  that  they  formed  a  corporate  body.  There 
was  no  schism  or  possible  place  for  the  paralysis  or 
mutilation  of  the  whole  body  of  Ciirist.  Today  the 
church  of  Christ  has  broken  to  pieces.  Here  and  there 
We  find  a  sound  member,  but  the  whole  body  is  mutilated 
and  severed,  so  that  it  is  not  possible  for  the  Spirit  to 
flow  with  undivided  and  unhindrred  fullness  through 
the  whole ;  consequently  we  do  not  have  the  gifts  of  the 
Spirit  in  the  same  measure  as  in  the  day  of  Pentecost. 
The  body  is  carrying  about  with  it  diseased  and  lacerated 
members,  and  it  takes  the  strength  of  tliose  that  are 
whole  to  carry  those  that  are  broken. 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


83 


What  we  need  today  is  tlie  baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
and  then  the  union  will  come  because  of  the  unUu,  and 
we  shall  not  need  our  platforms  and  our  convocations  to 
bring  the  body  toji:ether,  but  bone  to  his  bone,  member  to 
member  and  heart  to  heart  we  shall  stand  in  "unity  of 
the  Spirit,"  and  the  Church  of  Jesus  will  be  ''fair  as  the 
moon,  clear  as  the  sun,  and  terrible  as  an  army  with 
banners." 

Tne  baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost  will  always  brlag  a 
spirit  of  love.  It  will  fill  the  heart  with  devotion  and 
devotedness  to  God,  with  tender  consideration  for  one 
another,  with  loving  regard  for  our  brethren,  vvith  in- 
tense longing  for  the  salvation  of  souls,  and  with  sweet- 
ness and  charity  toward  all  men. 


utely 

There 

lis  or 

the 

Here 

Hated 

it  to 

.ugh 

the 

(cost. 

■ated 

are 


i 


V. 

IT  IS  THE  POWER  OF  SUPERNATURAL  GIFTS  AND  DIVINE 

'^lEALING. 

The  name  of  Jesus,  through  the  power  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  was  efficacious  to  restore  the  paralytic  at  the 
Beautiful  Gate  of  the  temple,  and  even  to  raise  the  dead 
at  the  prayer  of  Peter, 

At  every  great  crisis  in  the  apostolic  ministry,  we  find 
a  special  manifestation  of  supernatural  power.  It  was 
given  to  emphasize  their  testimony  in  Jerusalem.  It  was 
specially  marked  at  the  opening  of  the  gospel  in  Samaria. 
It  was  still  more  wonderfully  manifested  as  Peter 
preached  through  all  Judea.  And  at  everj'  new  point  in 
Paul's  missionary  journey  we  find  "God  bearing  witness 
by  signs,  and  wonders,  and  mighty  deeds." 

You  will  notice,  however,  that  the  healing  of  the  sick 
and  the  working  of  supernatural  power  were  not  pri- 
mary ends,  but  rather  testimonies  to  something  more 
important,  even  the  reality  and  power  of  the  name  of 
Jesus,  and  the  message  of  mercy  through  the  gospel. 

And  so,  while  we  must  still  recognize  the  supernatural 
ministry  of  the  Hpirit,  which  never  was  intended  to  be 


84 


POWER  FROM  OK  HIGH 


interrupted,  and  ouf?ht  to  be  expected  y^it  more  Wfmder- 
fuUy  in  these  last  days  before  the  coming  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  let  us  never  make  the  mistake  of  regarding 
it  as  an  end,  or  allowing  it  to  take  the  place  of  the  higher 
truths  that  relate  to  our  Hpiritual  life.  At  the  sam(; 
time,  Jet  us  not  ignore  it.  The  church  is  one  through  all 
the  ages.  "Jesus  Christ  is  tlie  same  yesterday,  and  to- 
day, and  forever";  the  Holy  Spirit  in  unchanged,  and 
the  constitution  of  the  church  is  identical  with  the  twelfth 
chapter  of  First  Corinthians  and  the  plan  which  God 
gave  at  F^jwtecoft. 

We  cannot  Umva  ou't  smy  part  of  the  Gospel  without 
weakening  all  Iai^  rei*t;  and  if  there  ever  was  an  age 
when  the  w^^^ki  nt-A'AfA.  the  witness  of  God 's  supernatural 
working,  it  is  this  d*/  of  unbelief  and  Satanic  power. 
Therefore,  we  may  exp*!^,,  an  the  end  npproaches,  that 
the  Holy  Ghost  w^^l  trork  in  the  healing  of  sickness,  in 
the  casting  out  ot  4«mdlMi,  in  -^eiaarkable  answers  to 
prayer,  in  special  an^  wonc^er^ul  provid<ences,  and  in 
such  forms  as  may  please  His  sovereign  will, — to  prove 
to  an  unbelieving  world  that  the  power  of  Jesus'  name 
is  still  unehangf/i,  and  that  "all  the  promises  of  God  iu 
Him  are  yea,  amA  kt  Him,  Amen,  forever. " 

Let  us  not  tenf  U)  fWira  His  power  for  our  physical 
as  well  as  our  H\)\nUm\  neoy],  f-nd  we  shall  find  that,  "if 
the  Spirit  of  fiim  that  raised  up  Jesus  from  the  dead 
dwell  in  us,  He  i)i»i  raised  u\)  Christ  from  the  dead  shall 
also  quicken  our  laortal  bodies  by  His  Spir.'i;  that  dwell- 
eth  in  us.'* 

VI. 

IT  IS  THE  POWF.R  OW  PROVIDENTI/.L  WORTilTNG. 

There  is  nothing  niore  remakable  tl'an  the  manaer  in 
which  God's  providene*  worked  in  line  with  the  first 
disciples,  showing  that  He  who  dw^elt  within  them  was 
the  sKine  God  that  eontr<  Is  the  universe  and  all  the  affairs 
of  buutan  life. 


■J 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


85 


How  wonderful  the  providence  that  brought  repres- 
tatives  from  the  whole  world  to  meet  at  Pentecost,  and 
then  to  receive  the  power  and  go  forth  to  their  homes  in 
every  nation,  as  witnesses  for  Jesus! 

How  marvelous  the  providence  that  brought  Philip  and 
the  eunuch  of  Ethiopia  together  down  there  at  the  cross 
roads  of  the  desert,  and  then  sent  the  prince  on  to  his 
home  in  Africa  converted,  enlightened,  and  filled  with 
the  Holy  Ghost,  to  be  a  witness  for  Jesus  to  his  whole 
nation,  and  perhaps  bring  all  North  Africa  to  God ! 

How  remarkable  the  providence  that  sent  Peter  to  the 
housetop,  and  then  brought  to  him  the  vision  that  illum- 
inated his  mind,  enlarged  his  ideas,  and  prepared  him 
for  his  greater  commission  for  the  Gentile  churches; 
then,  when  he  was  ready,  sent,  on  tlie  very  niche  of  time, 
the  messengers  of  Cornelius  to  knock  at  his  door  and 
take  him  up  to  Ciesareu  to  pit  h  the  gospel  to  the  Gen- 
tiles and  witness  the  outpouruig  of  the  Holy  Ghost  at 
iN'utecost  I 

How  wonderful  the  provide k'c  of  God  that  opened  the 
church  at  Antioch  and  prepared  a  new  center  for  Gen- 
tile Christ  ianity,  in  the  larger  spirit  of  the  cosmopolitan 
congregation,  and  then  g-^.thered  there  men  like  Paul  an  1 
Barnabas  to  be  the  leadvTS  of  a  wider  movement  for  all 
th'j  world ! 

How  marvelous  the  providence  that  saved  Peter  from 
the  cruel  hand  of  Herod,  opening  liis  prison  doors  on  the 
very  night  preceding  his  intended  execution,  and  smit- 
ing Herod  down  with  a  hideous  disease  m  the  hour  of 
his  i)resumptuous  purpose  to  destroy  the  Church  of  God! 

How  extraordinary  llie  providences  that  followed  Paul 
llirougli  his  wondrous  life,  opening  iiis  way  from  land  to 
land,  and  making  storm  and  tempest,  and  even  the  very 
viper  that  sprang  upon  him,  to  work  for  the  cause  of 
Christ ! 

And  still  the  same  God  rules  in  the  same  rea 
Providence.    Still  the  Holy  Ghost  within  as  can  con.u)l 


;l|i; 


86 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


the  circumstances  around  us.  Still  the  march  of  events 
will  keep  time  to  the  leadings  of  the  Spirit.  And  the 
man  that  walks  in  the  Holy  Ghost  shall  have  a  charmed 
life  and  be  immortal  till  his  work  is  done,  and  he  will  find 
that  winds  and  waves  and  fierce  and  cruel  men,  and  even 
Satan's  very  emissaries  shall  be  forced  to  become  auxili- 
aries to  His  purpose,  and  work  with  Him  for  the  further- 
ance of  the  Gospel. 

And  so  God  has  shown  in  the  lives  of  men  like  Arnot, 
in  Africa ;  Paton,  in  the  New  Hebrides ;  George  MuUer, 
in  Bristol,  and  many  a  humble  missionary  of  the  cross 
who  has  dared  to  trust  the  mighty  promise  of  the  ascend- 
ing Master,  the  permanent  value  of  His  words,  *'All 
power  is  given  Me  in  heaven  and  in  earth,  and  lo,  I 
am  with  you  all  the  days,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  age. ' ' 

VII. 

IT  IS  THE  POW^ER  FOR  GUIDANCE. 

The  Holy  Spirit  gives  power  for  guidance.  He  di- 
rected them.  He  led  their  steps.  He  sent  Philip  to 
Samaria,  and  down  to  the  desert  to  meet  the  eunuch. 
He  sent  Peter  to  the  housetop  and  then  to  the  home  of 
Cornelius.  He  restrained  Paul  and  Silas  from  preaching 
in  Bithynia  and  Ephesus,  and  then  He  sent  them  to 
Macedonia,  to  give  the  gospel  to  Europe. 

Step  by  step  He  was  the  Guide  of  all  their  ways,  and 
He  is  still  our  Counsellor  and  Guide;  and  if  we  will 
trust  Him  and  acknowledge  Him  in  all  our  ways.  He 
will  direct  our  steps  and  lead  us  into  all  the  fullness  of 
our  Father's  will. 


VIII. 
IT  IS  THE  POWER  FOR  THE  GOVERNMENT  OF  THE  CHURCH. 

There  is  nothing  more  wonderful  than  the  oversight 
of  the  Holy  Gh(>st  in  the  church  of  the  apostolic  age. 
He  was  its  recognized  Leader  and  Head.   He  directed  itt 


i 


M 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


87 


I 


rlit 


councils,  and  was  acknowledged  as  its  President.  He 
controlled  its  disciples,  kept  out  unworthy  members,  and 
preserved  it  from  the  touch  of  the  world. 

How  solemn  and  awful  His  dealing  with  Ananias  and 
Sapphira!  How  suggestive  the  solemn  statement  "of 
the  rest,  durst  none  join  themselves  unto  them"!  Oh, 
if  the  Holy  Ghost  is  in  the  Church,  the  world  will  not 
have  to  be  kept  out;  it  will  be  only  too  glad  to  stay 
out. 

Alas,  that  day  should  have  come  when  learning,  genius, 
influence  and  worldly  power  should  be  recognized  in  the 
house  of  God,  and  the  world  should  be  sought  by  sinful 
compromises  and  unholy  attractions,  and  the  church 
should  be  baffled  and  hindered  by  the  ** mixed  multit ado" 
that  she  has  no  power  to  keep  away.  God  is  trying  to 
show  His  ministers  and  people  that  He  is  adequate  for 
all  the  needs  of  His  work,  and  any  pastor  and  church 
that  will  fully  recognize  Him,  shall  always  be  prospered 
and  blessed,  spiritually,  financially,  numerically,  influ- 
entially,  and  every  way. 

Oh,  that  God  would  show  His  Church  her  true  power 
and  glory,  and  that  she  might  again  be  the  woman 
* '  clothed  with  the  sun,  with  the  m.oon  beneath  her  feet ! ' ' 

IX. 

IT  IS  THE  POWDER  OP  CONVICTION  OVER  THE  HEARTS  OF  MEN. 

The  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  is  not  always  a  conscious 
power  on  our  part.  It  is  marked  chiefly  by  effectiveness 
in  reaching  the  hearts  of  others.  On  the  day  of  Pente- 
cost, it  was  the  power  to  convict  the  consciences  of  men, 
and  to  influence  and  control  their  actions.  "They  were 
pricked  to  the  heart,  and  they  said.  Men  and  brethren, 
what  shall  we  do?" 

It  is  not  always  the  highest  excitement  that  indicates 
the  strongest  power.  The  great  question  is,  "What  is  the 
effect  upon  the  hearts  and  lives  of  men  ? ' '  When  Demos- 
thenes used  to  speak  in  Athens,  the  people  forgot  all 


88 


rOWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


about  Demostlienes,  and  said,  **Let  us  go  and  find 
Pliilip."  It  put  the  *'go"  into  them.  And  so  when 
the  Holy  Ghost  is  present  in  power  He  leads  to  results. 

The  speaker  may  be  very  calm,  and  have  little  con- 
sciousness of  the  power,  but  in  the  audience  are  men  and 
women  who  are  brought  face  to  face  with  God ;  and  the 
truth  is  ** manifested  to  every  man's  conscience  in  the 
sight  of  God,''  and  a  Voice  within  says,  "Thou  art  the 
man. ' '  The  will  is  led  to  decide  and  choose  for  God,  and 
men  turn  from  sin  and  yield  themselves  in  entire  sur- 
render. This  is  the  power  we  want — the  power  that 
"will  convict  men  of  sin,  and  of  righteousness,  and  of 
judgment ; ' '  not  the  power  of  great  machinery,  of  thril- 
ling eloquence,  melting  pathos,  and  marvelous  preaching 
and  singing  but  the  power  that  quietly  moves  upon  the 
hearts  of  men,  in  their  workshops  and  in  their  homes, 
until  they  are  constrained  to  give  themselves  to  God. 

X. 

IT  IS  THE  POWER  TO  SUFFER. 

Perhaps  there  is  no  more  remarkable  manifestation  of 
the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  in  the  early  church,  than 
the  sweetness  and  grandeur  with  which  they  endured  all 
things  for  Jesus'  sake.  Beaten  with  stripes  and  hu- 
miliated before  the  council,  they  came  together,  not  to 
condole  with  each  other  or  show  their  bleeding  wounds, 
but  to  rejoice  "that  they  were  counted  worthy  to  suffer 
shame  for  the  name  of  Jesus." 

Hunted  out  of  Iconium  by  a  mob  of  respectable  v^omen, 
pelted  with  stones  and  hooted  from  the  community,  the 
"disciples  were  filled  with  joy,  and  with  the  Holy 
Ghost."  Theirs  was  a  gladness  that  did  not  recognize 
their  sufferings,  but  lifted  them  above  persecution,  and 
counted  it  but  part  of  their  coronation. 

And  so  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  will  give  us  the 
heroism  of  endurance  and  enable  us,  like  our  Master,  for 
the  joy  set  before  us  to  endure  the  cross,  despising  the 


\ 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


89 


shame.  It  will  bring  about  a  spirit  of  self-denial  and 
holy  sacrifice ;  it  will  make  it  easy  for  us  to  let  go  things 
and  give  up  things  * '  and  endure  all  things  for  the  elect 's 
sake,"  and  to  say  with  the  great  apostle,  *'Yea,  and  if 
I  be  offered  upon  the  sacrifice  and  service  of  your  faith, 
I  joy  and  rejoice  with  you  all." 


XI. 
IT  IS   THE  POWER  FOR   SERVICE. 

Finally  this  was  the  power  for  unw  oaried,  earnest  and 
effective  work.  It  was  a  power  that  could  enable  Paul, 
in  a  single  lifetime,  while  supporting  himself  by  his  own 
manual  labor,  unsupported  by  any  missionary  society  or 
church,  and  without  the  facilities  of  our  railroads,  steam- 
boats, telegraphs  and  means  of  communication,  to  girdle 
the  globe  and  preach  the  gospel  everywhere,  and  say  in 
words  of  superlative  triumph,  ' '  So  that  from  Jerusalem, 
round  about  unto  Illyricum,  I  have  fully  preached  the 
gospel  of  Christ." 

0,  beloved,  we  are  living  in  an  earnest  age,  and  surely 
the  Holy  Ghost  ought  to  produce  earnest  men  today. 
God  give  to  us  this  power  for  work  that  will  multiply  our 
■ives  until  they  measure  up  to  the  extraordinary  oppor- 
tunities, and  to  the  marvelous  intensities  of  these  last 
days  on  which  the  ends  of  the  world  are  come. 

Oh,  for  a  race  of  Pauls !  Oh,  for  an  army  of  Gideons ! 
Oh,  for  a  band  of  heroes!  Oh,  for  the  baptism  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  in  all  the  meaning  of  Pentecost  and  in  all  the 
highest  thought  of  Christ  Himself ! 


CHAPTER  IX. 
FILLED  WITH  THE  SPIRIT. 

•'They  were  all  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost."— Acts  2:  4. 
"Be  not  drunk  with  wine,  wherein  is  excess;    but  bo  filled  with 
the  Spirit."— Eph.  5:  18. 

THESE  words  imply  that  there  is  a  difference  be- 
tween having  the  Spirit  and  being  filled  with  the 
Spirit.  These  disciples,  on  the  day  of  Pentecost, 
had,  in  some  measure,  received  the  Spirit  previously. 
The  Lord  Jesus  must  have  meant  something  when  He 
breathed  on  them  and  said,  *  *  Receive  ye  the  Holy  Ghost. '  * 
And  the  disciples  to  whom  the  apostle  wrote  the  Epistle 
to  the  Ephesians  had  already  been  "sealed  with  that 
Holy  Spirit  of  promise,"  which  was  the  earnest  of  their 
inheritance  until  the  redemption  of  the  purchased  pos- 
session ;  but  they  were  not  filled  with  the  Spirit. 

What  this  difference  is  we  may  not  be  able  to  state 
explicitly  or  accurately.  Our  theories  and  definitions 
may  be  at  fault,  and  it  is  probably  unnecessary  that  we 
sliould  understand  all  about  it  theoretically.  The  most 
important  thing  is  that  we  should  feel  after  it  until  we 
find  it;  that  we  should  long  for  it  and  press  forward 
to  receive  it.  It  is  very  probable  that  many  a  soul  is 
converted  without  being  distinctly  conscious  of  the  proc- 
ess at  the  time,  and  that  many  a  Christian  receives  the 
gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost  when  he  is  stumbling  after  it 
and  reaching  out  for  it  in  the  darkness  and  the  dimness 
of  spiritual  trouble.  And  so  we  may  not  know  all  about 
this,  but  we  may  earnestly  desire  it  and  persistently  seek 
until  we  find  it.  All  divine  conditions  transcend  our 
understanding,  and  our  most  real,  intense  and  important 
experiences  often  come  to  us  by  processes  which  we  our- 
selves could  not  explain. 

90 


it 

;-i3 


FILLED  WITH  TIIL  yPIRIT 


91 


The  most  familiar  operations  of  the  natural  world 
afford  a  loreible  illustration  of  this  distinction.  We  all 
easily  understand  the  difference  between  the  shallow 
stream  and  the  overflowing  river.  In  both,  cases  there  is 
water,  but  in  one  case  it  is  a  feeble  current,  while  in  the 
other  it  is  an  overflowing  stream  that  drives  the  in- 
numerable wheels  of  the  factories  along  the  shores.  The 
power  all  comes  from  the  fullness  which  causes  the  over- 
flow. 

We  can  easily  understand  the  difference  between  a 
boiler  full  of  water  and  a  boiler  full  of  boiling  water. 
In  the  one  case  it  is  cold  water  which  fills,  but  which  has 
no  power;  in  the  other  it  is  the  water  converted  into 
steam,  driving  the  wheels  of  the  mighty  engine  and  car- 
rying the  cars  across  the  continent  along  the  iron  track. 

That  single  degree  o"  temperature  makes  all  the  dif- 
ference in  the  world  between  power  and  impotence.  The 
Scriptures  of  truth  bear  out  this  distinction  with  the 
greatest  possible  clearness  and  force. 

In  writing  to  Timothy,  the  Apostle  Paul  says,  in  the 
first  chapter  of  the  second  epistle  and  sixth  verse, 
"Wherefore  I  put  thee  in  remembrance  that  thou  stir 
up  the  gift  of  God,  which  is  in  thee  by  the  putting  on 
of  my  hands.  God  hath  not  given  us  the  Spirit  of  fear ; 
but  of  power,  and  of  love,  and  of  a  sound  mind." 

The  gift  was  already  bestowed  and  fully  recognized, 
but  it  was  like  an  expiring  flame — the  embers  of  the  fire 
were  falling  into  ashes,  and  the  flame  was  almost  dead. 
The  word  used  is  rekindle,  stir  up  the  fadmg  embers, 
rekindle  the  fire — be  filled  with  the  Spirit. 

Again,  in  1  Corinthians  12 :  7,  we  read,  ''But  the  mani- 
festation of  the  Spirit  is  given  to  every  man  to  profit 
withal."  This  word  ''profit"  expresses  the  whole  dif- 
ference between  receiving  the  Spirit  and  being  filled  with 
the  Spirit.  Every  one  may  receive  the  Spirit,  but  only 
a  few  "profit  withal";  that  is,  improve  the  gift,  develop 
it,  exercise  it,  and  reach  its  utmost  fullness. 


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POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


All  this  is  perfectly  unfolded  in  the  beautiful  parable 
of  the  pounds,  Luke  19.  The  one  pound  given  to  each 
servant  is  the  special  enduement  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
power  for  service;  but  the  improvement  of  the  pound, 
in  each  case,  is  different,  according  to  the  diligence  and 
fidelity  of  the  servant.  And  so  the  outcome  of  each  life 
is  different,  and  the  final  reward  bears  the  same  propor- 
tion. It  is  a  wonderful  and  solemn  truth  and  places  an 
awful  responsibility  upon  every  one  of  us  for  the  right 
use  of  God's  spiritual  gifts,  and  especially  that  Gift  of 
gifts,  the  blessed  Holy  Ghost  Himself. 

In  the  twelfth  chapter  of  First  Corinthians  and  the 
thirteenth  verse,  we  have  another  remarkable  statement : 
*'For  by  one  Spirit  are  we  all  baptizad  into  one  body, 
whether  we  be  Jews  or  Gentiles,  whether  we  be  bond  or 
free ;  and  have  been  all  made  to  drink  into  one  Spirit. ' ' 

It  is  one  thing  to  be  baptized  into  the  one  body  by 
the  Spirit;  it  is  another  thing  to  drink  into  tliat  one 
Spirit.  The  first  is  an  act ;  the  second  is  a  habit.  The 
first  brings  us  into  a  relationship ;  the  second  is  the  true 
use  of  that  relationship,  the  drinking  of  His  fullness 
until  we  become  filled,  and  the  habit  of  abiding  in  His 
fullness  so  that  we  are  always  filled. 

Once  more,  the  same  truth  is  very  beautifully  taught 
in  the  story  of  the  widow  and  her  pot  of  oil,  already 
referred  to  in  connection  with  2  Kings  4 : 1-7.  That 
little  pet  of  oil  represents  the  Holy  Ghost ;  but  the  out- 
pouring of  the  pot  of  oil  into  all  the  vessels  which  the 
widow  borrowed  from  her  neighbors,  illustrates  the  full- 
ness of  the  Spirit,  as  we  receive  Him  into  all  the  needs 
of  our  life,  and  into  all  the  circumstances  which  God's 
providence  brings  to  us  as  opportunities  for  the  develop- 
ment of  our  spiritual  life  and  the  richer  fullness  of  the 
Holy  Ghost. 

So  many  have  the  Holy  Ghost  confined  in  a  little  pot 
of  oil  and  hidden  away  on  the  shelf  of  a  cabinet.  God 
wants  us  to  go  out  into  all  the  needs  of  life,  and  pour 


FILLED  WITH  THE  SPIRIT 


93 


that  divine  fullness  into  every  vessel  that  comes  to  us, 
until  our  whole  life  shall  be  a  living  embodiment  and  il- 
lustration of  the  all-sufficiency  of  Christ. 

u. 

Let  us  now  inquire  v/hat  ar3  some  of  the  effects  and 
evidences  of  the  filling  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

1.  To  be  filled  with  the  Spirit,  in  the  first  place  will 
bring  us  the  fullness  of  Jesus.  The  person  and  work 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  must  never  be  recognized  apart  from 
the  person  of  Christ — to  do  this  is  sure  to  lead  us  into 
Spiritualism.  Natural  religion  recognizes  the  spirit 
world.  Spiritualism  is  full  of  it.  The  priestess  of  Apollo 
was  called  the  Pythoness,  because  she  inhaled  a  spiritual 
influence  until  her  whole  body  became  swollen  like  a 
python,  and  her  whole  being  was  alive  with  intense  spirit- 
ual force;  but  it  was  the  spirit  of  evil;  it  was  a  spirit 
apart  from  the  person  of  Christ  and  the  true  God. 

The  Holy  Ghost  never  comes  to  us  apart  from  Jesus. 
He  is  the  Way  to  the  Father,  and  He  is  the  Way  from 
the  Fatlier  to  us ;  and  the  blessed  Spirit  when  He  comes 
witnessei  h  not  of  Himself  but  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
Let  us  be  very  careful  of  this.  It  is  possible  to  become 
inflated  with  a  spiritual  influence,  and  yet  to  ignore  and 
even  disobey  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  to  be  led  into 
pride,  self-sufficient  sentimentalism,  and  even  sin. 

The  object  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  like  that  of  an  artist,  is 
to  picture  Jesus  upon  the  canvas  and  make  Him  real  to 
us,  while  the  blessed  Actor  Himself  is,  in  a  measure,  out 
of  sight. 

The  more  we  are  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  more 
We  recognize  Christ,  depend  upon  Christ,  live  upon 
Christ  alone.  Therefore  this  very  word  ** filled"  is  used 
in  connection  with  Him. 

In  Colossians  2 : 9,  10,  we  have  these  two  remarkable 
relative  verses,  "In  Him  dwelleth  all  the  fullness  of 
the  Godhead  bodily,  and  ye  are  complete  in  Him."    Lit- 


94 


POWET?  FROM  ON  HIGH 


U 

H 


1^ 

P 
i 


K 

u 


I 


I     , 


erally  translated,  it  reads,  *'Iii  Him  dwelleth  all  the  full- 
ness of  the  Godhead  in  a  bodily  form,  and  ye  are  filled 
with  Him."  God  fills  Jesus ;  Jesus  fills  us.  Christ  is  the 
ideal  man,  the  pattern  of  what  a  man  should  be,  and 
God  has  put  into  Him  all  that  humanity  needs  to  be  to 
satisfy  Him;  therefore,  in  order  that  we  should  be  true 
men,  we  must  re-live  His  life,  reproduce  His  personality, 
receive  Him,  grow  up  into  Him,  and  live  Him  in  all 
the  completeness  of  His  glorious  life. 

So  we  read,  '*0f  His  fullness  have  all  we  received, 
even  grace  for  grace. ' '  We  ourselves  are  insufficient  for 
every  situation,  and  the  great  business  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
is  to  bring  us  up  to  the  situations  of  life  ai}d  show  us 
our  insufficiency^  and  then  reveal  to  us  Christ  and  bring 
Him  into  our  life  as  the  supply  of  our  needs.  So  in 
connection  with  that  wonderful  promise  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  in  the  fourteenth  chapter  of  John,  the  true  sequel 
is,  "I  am  the  Vine,  ye  are  the  branches.  Abide  in  Me 
and  I  in  you.  He  that  abideth  in  Me,  and  I  in  him,  the 
same  bringeth  forth  much  fruit;  for  apart  from  Me  ye 
can  do  nothing. ' ' 

This  is  the  life  into  which  the  Holy  Ghost  brings  us, 
the  life  of  personal  union  with  and  constant  dependence 
upon  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  To  be  filled  with  the  Spirit, 
then,  is  to  be  filled  with  Christ,  and  so  live  that  our  con- 
stant experience  and  testimony  will  be,  **I  live;  yet  not 
I,  but  Christ  liveth  in  me :  and  the  life  which  I  now  live 
in  the  flesh  I  live  by  the  faith  of  the  Son  of  God,  who 
loved  me,  and  gave  Himself  for  me. ' ' 

2.  To  be  filled  with  the  Spirit  will  exclude  the  life  of 
self  and  sin,  and  will,  of  course,  bring  us  into  a  life  of 
holiness,  righteousness  and  obedience. 

We  read  in  Exodus  40 :  34,  35,  that  **when  the  cloud  of 
the  glory  of  the  Lord  filled  the  tabernacle,  Moses  was  not 
able  to  enter  into  the  tent  of  the  congregation ;  because 
the  cloud  abode  thereon,  and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  filled 
the  tabernacle." 


PILLED  WITH  THE  SPIRIT 


95 


:s  us, 

Idence 
pirit, 
con- 
it  not 
live 
who 

ifeof 
tfe  of 

la  of 
Is  not 

!anse 
IfiUed 


This  is  the  true  picture  of  a  Spirit-filled  man.  The 
indwelling  and  infilling  of  the  Holy  Spirit  excludes  selt 
and  sin.  There  is  no  room  for  Moses  when  the  glory  of 
God  fills  our  being. 

3.  The  filling  of  the  Holy  Ghost  will  bring  us  joy  and 
fullness  of  joy.  * '  These  things  have  I  spoken  unto  you, ' ' 
the  Master  said  after  He  had  given  us  the  promise  of  the 
Spirit,  "that  My  j'^v  oiight  remain  in  you,  and  that  your 
joy  might  be  full.  '  And  so  the  apostle  prays  that  *'the 
God  of  hope  may  fill  us  with  all  joy  and  peace  in  believ- 
ing, that  we  may  abound  in  hope  through  the  power  of 
the  Holy  Ghost." 

The  fullness  of  the  Spirit  must  crowd  out  pain,  doubt, 
fear  and  sorrow,  and  bring  the  joy  of  Christ  to  fill  our 
being.  What  is  it  makes  the  melody  in  an  organ  ?  It  is 
not  the  touch  of  skillful  fingers  only  on  the  keys,  but  it 
is  the  filling  of  the  pipes  by  the  movement  of  the  pedals. 
I  may  try  in  vain  to  play  the  most  skillful  tune,  unless 
the  organ  is  filled ;  and  so  our  songs  of  praise  are  dead 
and  cold  until  the  breath  of  God  fills  all  the  channels  of 
our  being.  Then  comes  the  heart-song  of  praise  and  the 
overflowing  fountain  of  gladness. 

4.  So  all  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit  come  from  the  Spirit- 
filled  heart.  "The  fruit  of  the  Spirit  is  love,  joy,  peace, 
long-suffering,  gentleness,  goodness,  meekness,  faith, 
temperance."  These  are  all  fruits  or,  at  least,  the  fruit 
of  the  Spirit,  and  spring  spontaneous  from  the  fullness 
of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

When,  a  few  years  ago,  I  stood  at  Hebron  and  looked 
at  the  pool  of  David  and  saw  it  overfloving,  my  friend 
turned  to  me,  and  said,  "This  is  the  toktu  by  which  we 
know  that  the  valleys  of  Judea  are  filled  v  ith  water,  and 
its  plains  will  be  covered  with  fertility-  and  luxuriance. 
The  rains  have  been  abundant  because  the  dooI  of  David 
is  full  at  Hebron,  and  the  sources  of  irrigation  are 
ample." 


i 


Hi 


96 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


11  Ik'' 


And  so  when  the  heart  is  full  of  God,  the  life  will  be 
full  of  godliness.  Spontaneously  and  sweetly  will  spring 
up  ail  the  fruits  of  righteousness,  holiness  and  bessing, 
and  "the  desert  shall  rejoice  and  blossom  as  the  rose.'* 

t.  Again,  the  Holy  Ghost  can  fill  our  minds  and  under- 
standings with  knowledge  and  light,  and  control  our 
thoughts  with  harmony  and  sweetness  and  strength. 
The  peace  of  God  that  passeth  all  understanding  will 
keep  our  hearts  and  minds,  and  our  thoughts  will  be 
stayed  upon  Him,  and  "brought  into  captivity  to  the 
obedience  of  Christ.'* 

6.  Yes,  our  very  bodies  will  feel  the  fullness.  The 
Holy  Ghost  is  a  true  tonic  for  physical  energy  and  per- 
fect health.  The  fullness  of  the  Spirit  is  the  elixir  for 
body  and  brain  and  being.  To  be  filled  with  His  blessed 
life  will  make  our  feet  spring,  our  nerves  steady,  our 
brain  strong,  our  circulation  regular,  and  our  whole  being 
at  its  best  for  God  and  holy  service. 

7.  Then,  also,  our  very  circumstances  keep  time  to  the 
blessed  fullness  of  the  heart  within. 

Like  the  widow's  pot  of  oil  that  flowed  out  into  every 
vessel,  so  the  presence  of  God  touches  everything  that 
comes  into  our  life,  and  we  find  that  all  things  work 
together  for  good  to  us  if  we  love  God  and  fulfill  His 
purpose. 

Our  circumstances  will  become  adjusted  to  us,  or  we 
become  adjusted  to  our  circumstances,  and  the  whole  of 
our  life,  "fitly  framed  together,"  will  become  vigorous, 
and  full  of  power  a^id  blessing. 

8.  The  blessing  will  no  longer  be  expended  upon  itself ; 
but  we  shall  have  enough  and  to  spare ;  it  will  overrun 
until  there  is  not  room  to  receive  it,  and  the  residue  will 
become  the  inheritance  of  a  suffering  world.  These  are 
the  lives  God  uses,  and  God  cannot  use  us  until  we  are 
running  over. 

It  was  when  Cana's  water  was  poured  out  that  it  was 
changed  from  water  into  wine.    It  was  when  Ezekiel's 


FILLED  WITH  THE  SPIRIT 


97 


river  ran  from  the  sanctuary  to  the  desert  that  it  grew 
deeper  and  broader  and  fuller.  And  it  is  when  our  lives 
are  lost  in  self -forgetting  love  that  we  know  all  the  full- 
ness of  God. 

in. 

HOW  MAY  WE  BE  PILLED  T 

1.  We  must  be  empty. 

I  have  a  phonograph  into  whose  sensitive  gelatine 
cylinders  I  dictate  my  literary  work.  One  busy  day,  I 
dictated  a  large  amount  of  matter,  filling  up  every 
cylinder.  I  spent  nearly  two  days  getting  through  a 
great  amount  of  literary  labor,  and  felt  very  much  re- 
lieved that  it  was  off  my  hands. 

But  when  my  typist  proceeded  to  copy  the  messages 
which  I  had  spoken  to  these  cylinders,  she  could  not 
understand  the  words,  they  were  all  jargon  and  con- 
fusion. The  reason  was  very  simple.  I  had  neglected  to 
shave  off  the  former  dictation  before  giving  the  new 
message.  I  had  really  dictated  a  lot  of  matter  into  ears 
that  were  already  filled  and,  therefore,  it  had  made  no 
impression.  My  work  was  lost,  my  labor  was  in  vain. 
But  I  learned  a  lesson  that  was  worth  all  it  cost,  and 
that  is,  that  we  must  be  empty  before  we  can  be  filled. 
God  cannot  speak  His  messages  into  full  ears.  The  Holy 
Ghost  cannot  pour  His  fullness  into  those  who  are  already 
full. 

2.  We  must  be  hungry.  For  "He  hath  filled  the 
hungry  wiih  good  things,  and  the  rich  hath  He  sent 
empty  away. ' '  The  caravans  on  the  burning  desert,  when 
they  cannot  find  the  accustomed  well  of  water,  let  loose 
the  thirsty  harts  and  they  sweep  over  the  burning  plains, 
panting  with  thirst,  until  they  find  the  water  brooks. 

And  so  the  hungry  heart  always  finds  the  living  bread, 
the  thirsty  soul  is  always  filled  with  water.  There  is 
nothing  that  finds  God  so  quickly  as  an  earnest  soul. 


/"n^^ 


mmm 


98 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


Ml  t 


We  always  find  Him  when  "we  search  for  Him  with  all 
our  hearts." 

3.  We  must  be  open  if  we  would  be  filled.  *  *  Open  thy 
mouth  wide  and  I  will  fill  it."  We  must  be  free  from 
prejudice  and  preconceptions  of  truth  that  shut  us  up 
from  God's  voice.  We  must  be  adjusted  so  as  to  catch 
His  whisper  and  understand  His  will. 

4.  We  must  receive  as  well  as  ask ;  we  must  believe  as 
well  as  pray;  we  must  take  the  water  of  life  freely; 
we  must  know  the  secret  of  drinking  the  living  water,  if 
we  would  be  filled. 

5.  We  must  wait  upon  the  Lord. 

The  heart  is  too  large  to  be  filled  in  a  moment;  the 
soul  is  too  great  to  be  satisfied  with  a  mere  mouthful. 
**They  that  wait  upon  the  Lord  shall  renew  their 
strength."  We  must  "continue  in  prayer";  we  must 
be  much  at  the  throne  of  grace ;  we  must  learn  the  secret 
of  communion  as  well  as  supplication;  and  as  we  thus 
wait  upon  the  Lord,  we  shall  be  filled  until  we  shall  find 
it  a  luxury  to  give  forth  or.r  blessing  to  others. 

6.  And  finally,  if  we  would  be  filled,  we  must  learn  to 
give  as  well  as  receive ;  we  must  empty  our  hearts,  that 
they  may  be  refilled.  God  is  a  great  economist  and  He 
loves  to  bless  those  who  make  the  best  use  of  their  bless- 
ings, and  become  in  turn  a  source  of  blessing  to  others. 

The  Holy  Ghost  is  given  for  service ;  God  cannot  bless 
a  selfish  soul ;  and  there  is  no  selfishness  more  odious  in 
His  sight  than  that  which  can  hoard  God's  spiritual 
blessing,  and  let  others  die  in  ignorance  of  the  gospel, 
and  suffer  through  selfish  neglect. 

*  *  The  liberal  soul  shall  be  made  fat,  and  he  that  water- 
eth  others  shall  be  watered  himself."  In  this  blessed 
work  of  winning  the  lost  and  giving  the  gospel  to  the 
world,  we  shall  find  our  own  rich  reward,  and  "the 
fullness  of  the  blessing  of  Christ." 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE 

ROMANS. 

**But.  ye  are  not  in  the  flesh,  but  in  the  Spirit,  if  so  be  that 
the  Spirit  of  God  dwell  in  you.  Now  if  any  man  have  not  the 
Spirit  of  Christ,  he  is  none  of  his. ' ' — ^Rom.  8 :  9. 

WE  approach,  in  this  great  epistle,  a  spiritual 
temple,  and  from  its  illuminated  windows  there 
shine  out  the  beams  of  lofty  and  divine  truth.  It 
is  so  glorious  that  it  needs  only  to  be  stated  to  bring  its 
own  illumination  and  vindication.  This,  the  greatest  of 
the  epistles,  presents  to  us  the  doetine  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
with  a  symmetry  and  fuliness  quite  as  remarkable  as  the 
unfolding  of  the  other  tloetrines  which  it  contains. 

I.  First,  we  have  the  witnessing  Spirit.  In  Romans 
1:3,  4,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  said  co  have  been  "of 
the  seed  of  David  according  to  the  flesh,  and  declared  to 
be  the  Son  of  God  with  power,  according  to  the  Spirit 
of  holiness,  by  the  resurrection  from  the  dead." 

The  Spirit  of  holiness  has  been  interpreted  to  mean 
the  divine  nature  of  Jesus  Christ,  but  it  is  quite  proper 
and,  indeed,  a  more  simple  interpretation  to  apply  it 
directly  to  the  Holy  Ghost  as  a  divine  Person,  witnes- 
sing to  the  divinity  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  by  raising 
Him  from  the  dead  according  to  the  will  of  the  Father. 

The  Holy  Ghost  was  ever  the  witness  to  Christ 's  divin- 
ity, and  tlie  Spirit  Who  had  so  distinct  a  part  in  the 
offering  up  of  His  sacrifice  (for  it  was  **by  the  eternal 
Spirit  that  He  offered  Himself  to  God  without  spot") 
had  surely  as  important  a  part  in  His  resurrection. 
This  ib  the  first  view  we  love  to  take  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
as  the  Witness  of  Jesus,  and  especially  of  the  risen  Jesus. 
the  living  Christ,  and  the  divine  Lord. 

99  "'■  -     '^'''■^\ 


i  fi 


Hii 


100 


POWER  FBOM  ON  HIGH 


II.  We  next  see  the  Eoly  Ghost  as  the  Spirit  of  life 
and  holiness.  In  Romans  8 : 2,  we  read,  * '  The  law  of  the 
Spirit  of  life  in  Christ  Jesus  hath  made  me  free  from  the 
law  of  sin  and  death." 

This  is  the  first  work  of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  sanctifying 
the  soul.  Let  us  carefully  notice  the  place  where  tliis 
comes  in.  It  is  subsequent  to  our  justification  by  faitli 
and  our  surrender  to  Christ  in  death  and  resurrection. 
Then  the  Holy  Spirit  comes  and  takes  possession  of  us 
and  breathes  into  us  the  life  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
This  becomes  a  new  law  of  life  and  power  in  our  spiritual 
being,  and  tliis  new  law  lifts  us  above  and  sets  us  free 
from  the  old  law  of  sin  and  death. 

Just  as  the  law  of  life  lifts  us  above  the  law  of  gravi- 
tation, and  the  power  of  my  will  can  raise  my  hand  in 
spite  of  that  physical  law  which  makes  dead  matter  fall 
to  the  ground,  so  the  Holy  Ghost,  bringing  Christ  as  a 
living  presence  into  my  heart  and  life,  establishes  a  new 
law  of  feeling,  thinking,  choosing,  and  acting,  and  this 
new  law  lifts  me  above  the  power  of  sin  and  makes  it 
natural  to  me  to  be  holy,  obedient,  and  Christ -like. 

III.  We  see  the  Holy  Spirit  operating  in  the  mind  as 
well  as  in  the  spirit,  and  we  read  in  the  next  paragraph, 
verses  5  and  6,  *'The  minding  of  the  flesh  is  death,  but 
the  minding  of  the  Spirit  is  life  and  peace. ' '  The  Holy 
Spirit  enters  the  mind  and  disposes  it  to  the  will  of  God, 
so  that  we  choose  the  things  that  He  chooses,  and  think 
God's  thoughts  after  Him. 

We  mind  the  Monitor  Who  dwells  within  us ;  we  listen 
to  the  voice  that  speaks  to  us ;  we  follow  His  directions, 
and  "we  walk  not  after  the  flesh,  but  after  the  Spirit." 

IV.  The  Holy  Spirit  is  next  revealed  as  the  Spirit  of 
quickening  and  healing  in  our  mortal  flesh.  In  verse 
II,  **If  the  Spirit  of  Him  that  raised  up  Jesus  from  the 
dead  dwell  in  you,  He  that  raised  up  Christ  from  the 
dead  shall  also  quicken  your  mortal  body  by  His  Spirit 
that  dwelleth  in  you. " 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  ROMANS 


101 


t  of 
erse 
the 
the 
Dirit 


The  Holy  Ghost  is  the  source  of  physical  as  well  as 
mental  and  spiritual  life.  The  human  body  consists  of 
more  than  the  outward  frame.  There  is  the  inner  mechan- 
ism of  nerves,  and,  inside  of  that,  the  vital  fluids  and 
currents  which  quicken,  energize,  and  impel  the  whole 
material  organism. 

Inside  of  all  this  is  the  principle  of  life,  and  inside  of 
this  is  the  Holy  Ghost  in  the  consecrated  believer.  He 
is  most  distinctly  represented  to  us  here  as  a  vital  force 
in  our  material  being,  a  source  of  life,  quickening,  ex- 
hilaration and  physical  energy  for  those  that  know 
Him  and  obey  Him.  He  is  the  Spirit  that  raised  up 
Christ  from  the  dead,  and  He  dwells  in  our  mortal  bodies 
as  a  quickening  life.  This  is  not  the  immor^ul  body  of 
the  resurrection,  but  the  mortal  frame  of  the  present 
life  which  feeds  upon  the  divine  life.  A.nd  this  is  the 
secret  of  living  on  the  life  of  God. 

It  is  thus  that  our  bodies  are  the  temples  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  and  our  frames  are  the  members  of  Christ,  and 
partake  of  the  life  of  our  living  Head. 

V.  The  Holy  Spirit,  as  the  guide  and  director  of  our 
Christian  life,  is  very  clearly  presented  to  us  in  the  next 
few  verses.  *' Therefore, "  adds  the  apostle,  "we  are 
debtors,  not  to  the  flesh,  to  live  after  the  flesh.  For  if 
ye  live  after  the  flesh  ye  shall  die :  but  if  ye  through  the 
Spirit  do  mortify  the  deeds  of  the  body,  ye  shall  live. 
For  as  many  as  are  led  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  they  are 
the  sons  of  God." 

We  are  to  "live  after  the  Spirit";  w^e  are  to  obey  our 
divine  Guide ;  we  are  to  follow  our  heavenly  Leader ;  we 
are  to  yield  ourselves  to  the  Mother  and  the  Monitor 
who  comes  to  direct  our  pathway. 

Christian  life  is  not  a  mere  moment  of  blessed  trans- 
formation, but  it  is  a  life  of  continual  abiding  and 
obedience.  Step  by  step,  we  must  walk  with  God  and 
maintain  the  attitude  and  habit  of  dependence  and  holy 
obedience.    The  Holy  Spirit  never  wearies  of  the  care 


if 


102 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


■8 


ill 


of  our  life,  and  we  should  never  weary  of  His  loving- 
jealousy  for  us.  This  is  the  secret  of  peace  and  gladness 
constant  obedience  and  a  hearkening  spirit  that  waits  to 
catch  the  whisper  of  His  will  and  obey  His  every  word. 

VI.  In  this  passage  we  have  another  most  important 
truth;  namely,  that  the  Holy  Spirit  is  the  Spirit  of 
crucifixion.  He  is  the  One  that  mortifies  our  evil  nature 
and  holds  us  in  the  place  of  death  and  resurrection  life. 
The  attitude  of  the  Christian  life  is  that  of  reckoning 
ourselves  dead,  indeed,  unto  sin. 

This  attitude  must  be  maintained  as  a  habit,  and  there 
are  constant  occasions  A/hen  the  old  life  will  seek  to  re- 
assert itself  and  must  be  held  steadily  in  the  place  of 
death.  This  is  what  is  meant  by  *' mortifying  our  mem- 
bers," and  this  can  only  be  done  by  the  Holy  Ghost. 
If  we  attempt  it  ourselves  we  shall  be  everlastingly  in  the 
attitude  of  attempted  suicide,  and  we  shall  never  reach 
the  place  of  peaceful  death.  The  reason  so  many  ghosts 
are  walking  around  is  because  so  many  people  have  tried 
to  die  in  their  own  strength,  and  have  got  up  ir  the  same 
strength,  and  walk  about  as  the  apparitions  and  shade v/s 
of  the  old  carnal  life. 

The  Church  of  God  is  full  of  these  uncanny  spirits, 
these  live  corpses,  these  resurrected  ones;  and  they  are 
very  sad  looking  objects  to  themselves  and  to  everybody 
elbe.  The  true  secret  is  to  be  so  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
that,  like  the  autumn  leaves  which  drop  off  by  the 
coming  of  the  spring,  our  old  life  shall  be  kept  in  the 
place  of  death  by  the  expulsive  power  of  divinr  love  and 
Christ's  indwelling  life. 

VII.  The  Spirit  of  sonship  is  also  clearly  unfolded  in 
this  beautiful  par'igraph:  "As  many  as  are  led  by  the 
Spirit  of  God,  they  are  the  sons  of  God."  The  Holy 
Ghast  brings  us  into  the  same  relation  with  the  Father 
as  Jesus  Christ,  the  divine  Son.  We  are  made  '^artakers 
of  His  Sonship  through  His  indwelling  life,  and  the 
prayer  of  the  Master  becomes  fulfilled  in  us  and  through 
us,  **that  the  love  wherewith  Thou  hast  loved  Me,  may  be 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  TN  ROMANS 


103 


bin 
the 

poly 
;her 
cers 
the 
ugh 
be 


in  them  and  I  in  them. "  It  is  because  He  is  in  us  that 
the  Father  loves  us  with  the  same  love  that  He  loves  the 
Son,  and  we  dwell  in  the  blessed  consciousness  and 
confidence  of  this  place  of  child  liberty  and  love. 

We  are  called  the  first  born  ones.  We  are  ail  first  born 
ones,  even  as  He  is  the  First  Bom  One  and  the  Only 
Begotten.  We  partake  of  His  very  Sonship ;  and  as  the 
bride  shares  the  bridegroom's  family  and  home,  so  we 
enter  into  all  privileges,  immunities,  glories,  and  pros- 
pects of  Christ's  own  glorious  life.  "Behold,  what  man- 
ner of  love  the  Father  hath  bestowed  upon  us, ' '  and  the 
Spirit  hath  brought  to  us,  "that  we  should  be  called  the 
sons  of  God. ' ' 

Beloved,  have  we  received  power  thus  to  become  the 
sons  of  God,  and  does  the  Spirit,  not  of  adoption,  but  of 
Sonship,  cry  out  instinctively  from  our  inmost  being, 
"Papa,  Father,"  our  own  dear  Father,  His  Father  and 
our  Father,  His  God  and  our  God? 

VIII.  The  Spirit  of  hope  and  anticipation  of  the  com- 
ing glory  is  next  seen.  And  so  we  read  in  verse  23,  *  *  And 
not  only  they,  but  ourselves  also,  who  have  the  first  fruits 
of  the  Spirit,  even  we  ourselves  groan  within  ourselves, 
waiting  for  the  adoption;  to  wit,  the  redemption  of  our 
body." 

That  is,  the  Holy  Spirit  awakt.  is  the  consciousness  and 
brings  the  earnest  of  the  coming  glory,  and  calls  forth 
our  eager  longing  and  outreacliing  for  it.  Just  as  the 
embryo  birdling  in  its  shell,  when  the  time  for  its  birth 
draws  near  it,  presses  through  the  restraints  that  confine 
it,  until  at  last  it  bursts  the  fragile  shell  and  leaps  forth 
into  liberty  and  life  to  breathe  the  air  of  the  great  world, 
and  soon  to  cleave  the  firmament  on  eagle's  wings,  so 
the  Spirit-filled  heart  has  in  it  the  bud  and  the  embryo 
of  a  transcendent  future,  and  it  stretches  out  even  now 
its  nascent  wings,  and  groans  within  itself  for  the  com- 
ing glory. 

Who  is  .there  of  all  the  disciples  of  Christ  who  has  not 


I 


,  ■  ( 


r 

104 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


\n 


1  it 


III 


some  time  felt  the  birth-pangs  of  a  grander  life  and  the 
prophecy  of  a  future  transcending  all  we  know  of  power 
and  blessing? 

We  have  not  only  the  conception  and  anticipation  of 
this  glorious  future,  but  the  apostle  says  we  have  "the 
first  fruits"  even  now.  The  Spirit  of  God  in  our  hearts 
is  the  prophecy  and  promise  of  the  coming  age  of  more 
glorious  spiritual  life  when  we  shall  be  like  Him,  and 
clothed  with  His  perfections  and  something  of  His  wis- 
dom and  power,  we  shall  share  His  throne  forever. 

The  touches  of  divine  healing  that  have  chrilled  our 
mortal  framj  are  but  the  foretaste  of  the  resurrection 
hour,  when  we  shall  sweep  up  into  the  fullness  of  our 
eternal  manhood,  and  these  mortal  frames  shall  be  as 
beautiful,  as  glorious,  as  pure,  and  as  strong  as  His 
glorified  body  on  the  throne. 

What  we  have  seen  of  answered  prayer,  of  power  over 
nature,  of  victory  over  circumstances,  of  divine  life  even 
in  this  limited  sphere,  these  are  but  anticipations  and 
earnests  of  the  time  when  we  shall  inherit  the  kingdom 
which  Adam  lost,  and  share  man's  destined  dominion 
over  the  whole  creation. 

And  so  the  Holy  Spirit  in  us  is  teaching  us  the  mil- 
lennial soiig,  is  waking  up  in  us  the  pulses  ^f  the  resur- 
rection, is  illuminating  before  us  the  vision  of  the  commg 
glory,  end  is  calling  us  out  to  prove  even  here  our  celes- 
tial wings.  And  as  the  parent  eagle  teaches  her  little 
ones  to  fly,  moment  by  moment  and  effort  by  effort, 
alluring  them  from  their  soft  nest,  bearing  them  on  her 
mighty  wings,  so  the  Mother  Dove  is  teaching  us  to  spread 
our  wings  upon  the  higher  air  and  press  forward  into  a 
little  of  our  future  inheritance. 

Oh,  let  us  not  be  disobedient  to  these  heavenly  visions ! 
Let  us  not  repress  these  outreachings.  Let  us  not  quench 
these  immortal  fires.  And  let  ua  not  cramp  and  stunt, 
and  crush  out  the  heavenly  inspirations  and  aspirations 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  ROMANS 


105 


which  cany  with  them  not  only  the  prophecy,  but  the 
vital  power  of  an  endless  and  boundless  life. 

IX.  In  the  twenty-sixth  verse  we  have  the  Holy  Spirit 
as  the  Spirit  of  prayrr.  ''Likewise  also  the  Spirit  help- 
eth  our  infirmities ;  for  we  know  not  wnat  to  pray  for  as 
we  ought;  but  the  Spirit  itself  maketli  intercession  for 
us  with  groanings  which  cannot  be  uttered.  And  He 
that  searcheth  the  hearts  knoweth  what  is  the  mind  of 
the  Spirit,  because  He  maketh  intercession  for  the  saints 
according  to  the  will  of  God." 

This  is  the  deep  mystery  of  prayer.  This  is  the  deli- 
cate divine  mechanism  which  words  cannot  interpret, 
and  which  theology  cannot  explain,  but  which  the  hum- 
blest believer  knows  even  when  he  does  not  understand. 

Oh,  the  burdens  that  we  love  to  bear  and  cannot  under- 
stand! Oh,  the  inarticulate  outreachings  of  our  hearts 
for  things  we  cannot  comprehend!  And  yet  we  know 
they  are  an  echo  from  the  throne  and  a  whisper  from  the 
heart  of  God.  It  is  often  9  groan  rather  than  a  song, 
a  burden  rather  than  a  buoyant  wing.  But  it  is  a  blessed 
burden,  and  it  is  a  groan  whose  undertone  is  praise 
and  utterably  joy.  It  is  ''a  groaning  which  cannot  be 
uttered."  We  could  not  ourselves  express  it  always,  and 
sometimes  we  do  not  understand  any  more  than  that  God 
is  praying  in  U3,  for  something  that  needs  His  touch 
and  that  He  understands. 

And  so  we  can  just  pour  out  the  fullness  of  our  heart, 
the  burden  of  our  spirit,  the  sorrow  that  crushes  us,  and 
know  that  He  hears,  He  loves,  He  understands,  He 
receives;  and  He  separates  from  our  prayer  all  that  is 
imperfect,  ignorant  and  wrong,  and  presents  the  rest, 
with  the  incense  of  the  great  High  Priest,  before  the 
throne  on  high;  and  our  prayer  is  heaxd,  accepted  and 
answered  in  His  name. 

X.  The  Spirit  of  service  is  His  attribute.  The  Holy 
Ghost  is  next  represented  as  the  Spirit  of  power  for  con- 
secrated service.    In  the  twelfth  chapter  of  llomans  and 


^^  H 


106 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


the  first  verse,  there  is  a  singular  and  beautiful  force  in 
the  use  of  the  Greek  word  '^paraclete.'* 

The  expression,  '*!  beseech  you,  therefore,  brethren  by 
the  mercies  of  God"  literally  means,  "I  paraclete  you 
by  the  mercies  of  God";  that  is,  not  I,  but  the  Holy 
Ghost  beseeches  you,  that  ye  present  your  bodies  a  living 
sacrifice,  holy,  acceptable  unto  God,  which  is  your  reason- 
able service.  This  is  the  Holy  Spirit's  message  to  the 
saved  and  sanctified  children  of  God,  and  this  is  the  true 
power  for  consecration  and  service. 

We  may  so  identify  ourselves  with  the  blessed  Para- 
clete, that  our  appeals  and  messages  to  men  shall  not  be 
ours  but  His,  and  we  can  say,  '*!  Paraclete  you";  in  the 
name  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  beseech  you.  Thus  our  words 
and  works  will  come  to  men  with  the  authority  and  the 
power  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

XI.  The  Spirit  of  gladness  is  revealed  in  Romans  14: 
17.  '  *  The  kingdom  of  God  is  not  meat  and  drink ;  but 
righteousness,  and  peace,  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost." 
Romans  15 :  13.  "Now  the  God  of  hope  fill  you  with  all 
joy  and  peace  in  believing,  that  you  may  abound  in  hope, 
through  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost." 

The  Holy  Spirit  is  always  the  Spirit  of  gladness,  and 
the  Spirit  of  gladness  and  hope  is  essential  to  power  for 
service  and  effective  testimony  for  Christ. 

XII.  The  Spirit  of  missions  is  His  Spirit.  The  crown- 
ing revelation  of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  this  sublime  epistle 
is  the  Spiril;  of  evangelization  for  the  whole  world. 
It  is  very  beautiful  that  in  this,  the  most  doctrinal  of 
all  the  epistles,  the  most  profound  theological  treatise 
on  justification,  sanctification  and  the  purposes  of  God 
ever  written  by  inspired  hands,  should  be  these  closing 
words  respecting  the  ministry  of  the  Holy  Ghost  for 
the  evangelization  of  the  whole  world.  But  how  could 
it  be  otherwise  from  such  a  soul  and  such  a  hand  as 
Paul's? 

Listen  to  these  inspiring  words :  "I  have  written  more 


Wf 


THE  HOLY  SriRTT  IN  ROMANS 


107 


boldly  unto  you,  as  putting  you  again  in  remembrance, 
because  of  the  grace  that  was  given  me  of  Grod,  that  I 
should  be  the  minister  of  Jesus  Christ  unto  the  Gentiles, 
ministering  the  Gospel  of  God,  that  the  offering  up  of 
the  Gentiles  might  be  made  acceptable,  being  sanctified  by 
the  Holy  Ghost. 

"I  have  therefore  my  glorifying  in  Jesus  Christ  in 
those  things  which  pertain  to  God.  For  I  will  not  dai3 
to  speak  of  anything  save  those  which  Christ  wrought 
for  me,  for  the  obedience  of  the  Grentiles  by  word  and 
deed,  through  mighty  signs  and  wonders,  by  the  power 
of  the  Spirit  of  God ;  so  that  from  Jerusalem  and  round 
about  unto  Illyricum,  I  have  fully  preached  the  gospel 
of  Christ;  yea,  so  have  I  strived  to  preach  the  gospel, 
not  where  Christ  was  already  named,  lest  I  should  build 
upon  another  man 's  foundation ;  but  as  it  is  written.  To 
whom  He  was  not  spoken  of,  they  shall  see;  and  they 
who  have  not  heard  shall  understand."    Chap.  15 :  15-21. 

To  the  glowing  heart  of  Paul  the  work  of  missions  was 
jiist  the  offering  up  of  the  Gentile  world  as  a  great  living 
sacrifice  to  God,  sanctified  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  To  pre- 
sent this  offering  to  God  was  the  glorious  and  all  absorb- 
ing service  of  his  life,  and  in  this  he  had  claimed  and 
received  the  mighty  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit;  so  that 
his  soul  could  truly  say,  **  through  mighty  signs  and 
wonders  from  Jerusalem  round  about  unto  Illyricum,  I 
have  fully  preached  the  gospel  of  Christ. ' '  He  could  not 
rest  in  the  beaten  tracks  of  old  and  occupied  fields,  but 
pressed  forward  to  the  regions  beyond  to  tell  the  story 
of  divine  love  and  grace,  where  Christ  had  not  been 
named. 

In  an  age  when  all  our  methods  of  international  com- 
munication were  unknown,  when  there  were  no  railroads, 
steamboats,  telegraphs,  nor  missionary  societies,  this  lone 
man  preached  the  Gospel,  from  land  to  land,  until  he 
could  say  of  this  vast  region  of  the  known  world  that 
circled  round  Jerusalem,  he  had  so  fully  preached  the 


Hi! 


ilM 


■^ 


Hi 


''.  ■' 


108 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


il; 


ill 

;5: 


i|; 


gospel  of  Christ  that  no  place  was  left  in  those  parts, 
and  that  he  was  now  at  length  at  leisure  to  visit  his 
friends  in  Rome  and  do  some  home  mission  work. 

Wherever  tiie  Holy  Ghost  has  possession  of  our  hearts 
and  lives,  this  will  be  the  impulse  that  will  possess  us,  and 
it  will  be  the  practical  outcome  of  our  consecration,  until 
we  shall  have  given  the  gospel  as  a  witness  to  every  tribe 
and  tongue,  and  the  purpose  of  the  Christian  Dispensa- 
tion to  gather  out  of  the  Gentiles  a  people  for  His  name 
shall  be  accomplished,  and  the  Lord  Himself  shall  come. 

Oh,  may  the  Holy  Spirit  help  each  of  us,  from  the 
study  of  this  wonderful  epistle,  to  understand  His  mean- 
ing for  us  and  for  our  times,  and  to  rise  from  the  grandest 
truths  of  the  gospel  to  the  grandest  work  of  the  ages  I 


!|l 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  THE  FIRST  EPISTLE  TO 

THE  CORINTHIANS. 

THE  First  Epistle  of  Paul  to  the  Corinthians  unfolds 
the  doctrine  of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  a  number  of 
distinct  paragraphs,  bringing  out  four  different 
aspects  of  the  truth,  that  are  full  of  practical  significance. 

In  the  second  chapter  we  have  the  Holy  Ghost  pre- 
sented as  the  source  of  mental  illumination  and  the 
Spirit  of  wisdom  and  revelation. 

In  the  third  and  sixth  chapters  we  have  the  Holy 
Spirit  in  His  indwelling  in  our  spirit,  and  His  sanctify- 
ing power. 

In  the  sixth  chapter  we  have  the  Holy  Spirit  dwelling 
in  our  body  and  uniting  us  to  Christ. 

And  in  the  twelfth  chapter  we  have  the  Holy  Spirit 
constituting  the  whole  body  of  Christ  and  uniting  it, 
filling  it  witn  life,  and  enduing  it  with  power  for  service. 


I. 

THE  SPIRITUAL  MIND.      I.  Cor.  2  :  6-16. 

The  last  verse  of  this  wonderful  chapter  expresses  the 
particular  truth  of  which  the  whole  chapter  is  an  unfold- 
ing,— * '  We  have  the  mind  of  Christ. ' '  The  Spirit  is  here 
represented  as  the  Quickener  of  the  mind,  and  the  Source 
of  mental  illumination,  and  the  Revealer  of  spiritual 
truth. 

There  are  three  distinct  and  important  thoughts  in  the 
chapter.  The  Holy  Spirit  is  the  Revealer  of  super- 
natural truth. 

1.  In  the  first  place,  the  Spirit  is  the  revealer  of 
sources  of  knowledge.  For  "eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear 
beard,  neither  have  entered  into  the  heart  of  man  the 


110 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


things  which  Grod  hath  prepared  for  them  that  love  Him. 
But  God  hath  revealed  them  unto  us  by  His  Spirit ;  for 
the  Spirit  searcheth  all  things,  yea,  the  deep  things  of 
God." 

There  is  much  that  eye  hath  seen,  but  there  are  truths 
beyond  our  natural  vision  just  as  wonderful  as  this  world 
of  light  and  beauty,  when  it  is  suddenly  revealed  to  a 
man  who  has  always  been  blind,  and  whose  vision  is  re- 
stored. His  first  thought  is,  *'How  beautiful,  how  won- 
derful !  Why  didn  't  you  tell  me  of  this  before  ? ' ' 

And  so  there  are  spiritual  truths,  and  there  is  a  world 
of  higher  vision  which  God  has  for  the  quickened  spirit, 
and  which  our  natural  senses  never  could  discover ;  and 
when  we  see  it  in  the  light  of  His  revealing,  we  wonder 
we  never  heard  of  it,  and  we  think  everybody  ought  to 
see  it. 

There  are  things  which  ear  has  heard, — the  words  of 
eloquence  and  wisdom,  the  notes  of  melody  and  harmony, 
the  whisper  of  affection,  the  voices  of  nature  and  human 
love;  but  there  is  a  higher  realm  whose  messages  of 
heavenly  truth  and  divine  love  ear  hath  never  heard. 
There  are  words  of  tenderness  and  wisdom  which  the 
Shepherd's  voice  is  waiting  to  speak  to  those  who  know 
it,  and  the  Holy  Ghost  is  longing  to  give  to  "him  that 
hath  a  ear  to  hear  what  the  Spirit  saith  unto  the 
churches. ' ' 

There  are  thoughts  and  truths  which  human  hearts 
have  conceived,  wonderful  creations  of  the  human  imag- 
ination, wonderful  conceptions  of  the  human  soul, 
wonderful  inductions  from  human  observation  and  per- 
ception, wonderful  systems  of  thought  and  philosophy. 
But  there  are  deeper  and  higher  truths  for  the  heaven- 
taught  soul  which  will  fill  tlie  ages  to  come  with  wonder 
and  rapture.  "In  Him  are  hid  all  the  treasures  of 
wisdom  and  knowledge,"  and  some  day  we  shall  know, 
even  as  He,  all  the  secrets  of  truth.  But  He  cannot  speak 
them  to  us  until  we  are  able  to  hear  them.    This  is  the 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  FIRST  CORINTHIANS       m 


province  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Some  of  these  truths  He 
has  revealed  to  us  in  the  Holy  Scriptures,  but  this  is  but 
a  primary  revelation  for  the  present  age  and,  as  we  shall 
know  Him  better,  He  will  lead  us  on  and  up  to  all  the 
heights  and  depths  of  knowledge  in  the  cycles  of  eternity. 

"For  the  Spirit  searcheth  all  things,  yea,  the  deep 
things  of  God."  Like  a  mother  who  is  searching  through 
her  wardrobe  to  find  what  will  fit  the  ages  of  her  chil- 
dren, like  a  teacher  who  is  wisely  discriminating,  and 
determining  just  what  class  he  can  put  the  pupil  into 
according  to  his  progress,  so  the  Holy  Ghost  is  searching 
constantly  to  find  how  much  we  can  stand;  how  far  He 
can  advance  us;  how  fully  He  can  reveal  to  us  "the 
mind  ( I  Christ,"  and  He  is  often  disappointed,  because 
as  babes,  we  are  unprepared  for  His  higher  messages. 

2,  We  need  more  than  supernatural  truth,  we  need  a 
supernatural  mind  to  receive  it.  And  so  the  next  thought 
presented  here  is  the  Holy  Spirit's  ministry  in  giving  to 
us  the  mind  of  Christ,  and  a  supernatural  power  of 
reception.  "For  what  man  knoweth  the  things  of  a  man, 
save  the  spirit  of  man  that  is  in  ii^m?  even  so  the  things 
of  God  knoweth  no  man,  but  the  Spirit  of  God." 

You  may  repeat  this  sermon  to  the  little  canary  bird 
that  sings  in  your  chamber,  and  he  may  bend  his  little 
head  in  earnest  attention  and  try  to  take  in  your  thought 
and  meaning,  but  you  will  find  that  he  has  not  grasped 
it.  His  little  mind  is  not  equal  to  your  higher  thought ; 
he  has  only  the  mind  of  a  bird,  while  you  have  the  mind 
of  a  man.  In  order  to  make  him  understand  you,  you 
will  need  to  put  your  mind  into  his  brain. 

And  so  when  we  bring  our  little  mind  up  to  the  great 
thoughts  of  God  we  are  inadequate ;  we  cannot  take  them 
in.  Your  canary  may  have  a  bigger  head  than  your 
neighbor  'p  canary ;  it  may  know  one  or  two  notes  of  song ; 
it  may  ive  a  few  little  tricks  that  others  have  not 
learned;  it  may  be  an  educated,  a  cultivated,  a  profes- 
sional bird  but  it  is  only  a  bird.    And  so  your  philosopher, 


^\ 


112 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


your  man  of  science,  your  scholar,  may  know  a  few  in- 
tellectual tricks,  which  the  common  mind  is  ignorant 
of ;  but  he  has  only  a  human  mind,  he  cannot  take  in  the 
things  of  God  without  divine  illumination. 

This  is  the  reason  why  **the  wisdom  of  the  world  is 
foolishness  with  God."  "But,"  He  adds,  "we  have  re- 
ceived the  Spirit  which  is  of  God,  that  we  might  know 
the  things  that  are  freely  given  to  us  of  God."  "We 
have  the  mind  of  Christ." 

This  is  the  stupendous  truth  which  revelation  holds 
out,  that  we  may  have  a  divine  capacity  in  order  to  un- 
derstand a  divine  revelation.  The  Holy  Ghost  does  not 
annihilate  our  intellect,  but  He  so  quickens  it  and  in- 
fuses into  it  the  mind  of  Christ,  that  it  is  practically 
true  "that  old  things  have  passed  away,  behold,  all  things 
have  become  new." 

He  can  give  us  the  power  to  cease  from  our  own 
thoughts,  and  He  can  put  into  us  His  divine  thoughts. 
He  can  make  the  truth  real  and  living,  so  that  it  glows 
and  shines  with  the  vividness  of  intense  realization.  He 
can  enable  us  to  grasp  it,  to  feel  't,  to  remember  it,  and 
to  understand  it.  He  can  light  up  the  page  until  it 
glows  as  the  firmament  of  stars  at  night  or  as  the  sun- 
shine of  the  day  that  makes  all  objects  plain.  He  can 
stop  our  foolish  and  vain  imaginations  and  * '  bring  every 
thought  into  captivity  to  the  obedience  of  Christ." 
Blessed  baptism  for  our  poor  wandering  minds !  Blessed 
"peace  of  God  that  passeth  all  understanding,"  that  can 
"keep  our  thoughts"  as  well  as  our  hearts  by  Christ 
Jesus!  Blessed  sight  as  well  as  light  that  the  blind  can 
have! 

Therefore,  in  that  beautiful  and  symbolical  Gospel  of 
John,  where  every  act  of  Christ  was  an  object  lesson,  we 
find  that,  after  He  had  revealed  Himself  as  the  Light  of 
the  world,  He  immediately  healed  the  blind  man  and 
restored  his  sight,  as  much  as  to  say,  "  It  is  not  only  light 
you  need,  but  vision."    He  came  "that  they  which  see 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  FIRST  CORINTHIANS       113 


not  might  see,  and  that  they  which  see  might  be  made 
blind!" 

3.  There  is  one  more  thought  still,  and  that  is  the  in- 
sufficiency of  human  wisdom  to  know  the  things  of  God. 
**The  natural  man  receiveth  not  the  things  of  the  Spirit 
of  God ;  for  they  are  foolishness  unto  him :  neither  can  he 
know  them,  because  they  are  spiritually  discerned." 

The  natural  man  here  is  not,  of  course,  the  jfleshly 
man,  but  it  is  literally  the  physical  man ;  that  is,  the  soul 
man,  the  intellectual  mind,  the  cultured  mind,  the  mind 
of  the  philosopher.  It  is  not  for  want  of  human  education 
that  men  do  not  know  the  truth  of  God,  but  it  is  for  want 
of  spiri^  aal  organs.  Therefore  it  isi  that  *  *  the  wisdom  of 
this  world  is  foolishness  with  God,  and  He  taketh  the 
wise  in  their  own  craftiness."  Therefore  it  is  that 
scholarship  and  genius  and  even  ecclesiastical  authority 
so  often  fail  to  grasp  the  deeper  spirtual  truths  of  the 
gospel,  and  even  oppose  and  hold  up  to  ridicule  and 
scorn  the  things  that  God  hath  revealed  to  them  that 
love  Him. 

And  so,  beloved,  when  you  find  the  gifted  and  the 
influential,  even  in  professors'  chairs  and  sacred  pulpits, 
opposing  the  truths  that  are  dearer  to  you  than  your 
life,  and  that  you  have  seen  in  the  living  light  of  God, — 
do  not  wonder;  do  not  feel  provoked;  do  not  answer 
back  according  to  their  folly;  but  pray  for  them;  pity 
them  and,  as  you  have  opportunity,  let  the  light  of  the 
truth  they  do  not  know  shine  into  their  hearts.  Let 
them  feel  the  touch  of  your  love.  Let  them  see  the 
tears  of  your  deep  and  earnest  compassion.  Let  them 
behold  the  glory  that  shines  through  your  face  and  life, 
and  some  day  they  will  become  hungry  for  the  secret  of 
the  Lord  which  you  have  found. 

When  ApoUos  preached  in  Ephesus  the  wonderful 

wisdom  of  the  schools,  Aquilla  and  Priscilla  heard  him 

and  saw  his  great  lack.    They  did  not  criticise  him  and 

denounce  him,  but  they  lovingly  prayed  for  him;  they 

8 


.A 


]  'I-  ' ' 


114 


POWER  FROM  ON  IHGII 


!  ;i; 


I  :  ii 


'il 


gently  brought  to  him  the  deeper  truth,  and  God  opened 
his  heart  to  receive  it. 

And  Oh,  men  of  culture,  men  of  self-confidence,  you 
will  never  find  the  truth  by  your  processes.  You  cannot 
understand  it  without  the  divine  revelation.  You  are 
blind,  and  dark,  and  doomed,  unless  God  will  give  you 
light.  Oh,  lie  down  in  humility,  abasement,  and  helpless- 
ness, at  His  blessed  feet;  confess  your  blindness,  and 
cry  to  Him  like  Bartimeus  of  old,  "Lord,  that  my  eyes 
may  be  opened"!  And  you,  too,  shall  receive  spiritual 
sight,  and  behold  wondrous  things  out  of  his  law. 

n. 

THE  INDWELLING   OP  THE  HOLY  GHOST  AS  OUB 

SANCTIFIER. 

I.  Cor.  3 :  16, 17 :  "Know  ye  not  that  ye  are  the  temple 
of  God,  and  that  the  Spirit  of  God  dwelleth  in  yout 
If  any  man  defile  the  temple  of  God,  him  shall  God 
destroy ;  for  the  temple  of  God  is  holy,  which  temple  ye 
are." 

1.  Cor.  6:11:  "And  such  were  some  of  you;  but  ye 
are  washed,  but  ye  are  sanctified,  but  ye  are  justified 
in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  by  the  Spirit  of  our 
God." 

Here  we  have  the  Holy  Spirit  as  the  indwelling  pres- 
ence of  the  sanctified  heart,  and,  indeed,  as  the  source  of 
its  sanctification  and  preservation.  This  is  the  mystery 
of  godliness — God  dwelling  in  the  temple  of  a  human 
soul.  It  is  not  merely  that  the  temple  is  made  holy,  but, 
being  separated  and  sanctified,  it  is  made  the  abode  of 
God  Himself,  and  He  lives  in  it  His  own  glorious  life. 
"I  will  dwell  in  them,  and  I  will  walk  in  them." 

The  apostle  appeals  to  the  Corinthians  with  the  ques- 
tion, *  *  Know  ye  not  1 ' '  The  power  of  this  blessed  relation- 
ship is  in  knowing  it,  recognizing  it  and  living  under  its 
power.  There  are  many  glorious  facts,  which,  if  we  but 
knew  them,  would  revolutionize  our  lives.    For  ages  the 


liPl 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  FIBST  GOBINTHIANS       II5 


world  lived  on  the  edge  of  the  profoundcst  secrets  of 
seienee  and  nature,  and  because  it  knew  them  not,  it  never 
entered  into  their  power;  but  when  it  knew  the  secret 
that  was  locked  up  in  the  lightning  and  the  steam,  then 
all  the  forces  of  our  modem  commercial  and  industrial 
life  at  once  came  upon  the  scene  of  human  life. 

And  when  we  know  that  we  have  within  us  the  in- 
dwelling presence  of  God,  we  become  at  once  partakers 
of  His  omnipotence.  When  we  know  that  we  have  within 
us  the  power  that  can  lift  us  above  every  temptation, 
difficulty  and  sorrow,  we  become  partners  in  the  power 
of  God,  and  we  go  forth  with  the  shout  of  a  conqueror. 

0,  beloved,  many  of  you  are  living  in  poverty,  defeat 
and  disappointment,  when  you  might  be  conquerors  and 
millionaires — spiritual  millionaires!  Only  claim  your 
rights,  only  touch  the  wire  that  is  throbbing  with  electric 
fire,  only  draw  upon  the  bank  account  which  is  deposited 
in  your  name,  only  use  the  resources  that  belong  to  you, 
only  know  and  prove  your  full  salvation,  and  you  shall 
go  forth  as  the  victorious  sons  of  God,  and  co^^ucrcd 
difficulties  shall  fall  beneath  your  feet,  and  you  shall 
march  forth,  shouting,  "Thanks  be  unto  God,  who  al- 
ways causes  us  to  triumph  in  Christ  Jesus. ' ' 


!( 


m. 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  FOR  OUR  BODY. 


le 


lues- 

;ion- 

r  its 

but 

the 


I.  Cor.  6:19.  ''What!  know  ye  not  that  your  body 
is  the  temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost  which  is  in  you,  which 
ye  have  of  God?" 

This  is  a  different  truth  from  the  one  that  we  have 
been  considering,  at  least  it  is  a  different  measure  and 
degree  of  the  same  truth.  The  Holy  Ghost  not  only  fills 
the  heart,  but  He  fills,  or  wants  to  fill,  the  body,  too. 
He  wants  to  have  us  surrender  to  Him  every  physical 
organ  and  member,  and  possess  it,  fill  it,  and  quicken 
it  with  His  divine  life.    He  is  the  Former  of  our  body 


1;  i 


116 


POWKR  FROM   ON  HIGH 


as  well  as  tlic  Father  of  our  Rpirit,  and  lie  is  able  to 
iripart  to  every  part  of  our  franu;  the  very  life  of  the 
risen  Christ.  And  when  He  fills  the  body  and  makes  it 
His  temple,  He  unites  it  with  Ciirist.  Then  also  the 
thirteenth  and  the  fifteenth  verses  become  true,  "The 
body  is  for  the  Lord,  and  the  Lord  is  for  the  body." 
**Know  ye  not  that  your  bodies  are  the  members  of 
Christ?" 

Then  He  introduces  us  to  that  mysterious  and  glor- 
ious relationship  where  we  call  Him  Husband,  where 
we  are  wedded  to  the  very  life  of  our  beloved  Lord,  and 
where  He  imparts  to  our  vital  being  and  our  physical 
organism  His  own  resurrection  life  and  strength. 

This  is  a  relationship  as  pure  and  holy  as  the  very 
heart  of  God.  It  cannot  be  compared  with  any  human 
relationship ;  it  is  infinitely  above  it.  It  is  a  fellowship 
in  the  Holy  Ghost  so  delicate,  so  sacred,  so  pure,  that 
the  faintest  image  of  earthliness  would  defile  it.  But 
it  is  as  real,  as  actual,  as  satisfying,  as  the  most  tender 
and  intimate  of  human  affections;  and,  indeed,  all  we 
know  of  earthly  love  and  earthly  joy  is  only  its  imperfect 
type  and  shadow.  It  is  the  source  of  physical  quicken- 
ing for  the  consecrated  body.  It  makes  our  bodies  the 
members  of  Christ.  It  brings  into  every  part  of  our 
being  His  very  life;  it  makes  Him  to  us  our  Life  and 
Living  Bread.  It  translates  into  actual  experience  His 
wonderful  words,  **As  the  living  Father  hath  sent  Me, 
and  as  I  live  by  the  Father,  so  he  that  eateth  Me,  even 
he  shall  live  by  Me." 

This  is  a  love  and  a  life  that  "none  but  he  that  feels 
it  knows."  But  He  will  teach  it  to  the  consecrated  and 
obedient  heart,  and  He  will  give  to  us  even  here  a  fore- 
taste of  that  blessed  fellowship  above  where  we  shall  sit 
down  at  the  Marriage  Supper  of  the  Lamb,  and  live  for- 
ever on  His  own  divine  life. 

Then  we  are  also  taught  that  this  indwelling  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  in  our  body,  and  this  union  of  our  frame 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  FIRST  CORINTHIANS        117 


>> 


:or- 


with  the  personal  Christ  will  bring  entire  sacrednc^, 
dedication,  and  consecration  to  all  our  being.  **Ye  are 
not  your  own,  for  ye  are  bought  with  a  price ;  therefore, 
glorify  God  in  your  body  which  is  God's."  The  reading 
of  the  Authorized  Version  is  wrong  here.  The  word 
spirit  is  not  found  in  the  original.  He  is  speaking  ex- 
clusively of  our  physical  life.  It  is  our  body  that  ia 
bought  with  a  price.  It  is  our  body  that  is  not  our  own. 
It  is  our  body  in  which  we  are  to  glorify  God. 

And  how  shall  we  glorify  Him  but  by  letting  Him 
live  in  it,  look  through  it,  and  work  in  it  for  others, 
until  our  whole  physical  life  shall  be  an  expression  of 
God's  grace  and  fullness,  and  He  shall  look  through  our 
holy  lives,  and  walk  in  our  springing  steps  and  shine 
in  our  glowing  faces  and  speak  in  our  living,  loving  tones, 
and  be  revealed  to  men  in  all  we  think  and  say  and  do. 

Oh,  what  a  sacredness  it  gives  to  life  to  receive  it 
breath  by  breath  and  moment  by  moment  from  Him  I 

They  tell  of  a  poor  Chinese  woman  who  had  refused 
to  accept  Jesus  from  the  missionary  nurse  that  waited 
upon  her.  She  was  dying  of  an  ulcerated  arm,  and  when 
the  doctor  said  that  if  she  could  get  anyone  to  give  up  his 
flfish  and  blood  to  be  transfused  into  this  shrunken  and 
diseased  member  she  might  be  healed,  she  sent  for  her 
son  and  asked  him  if  he  would  let  the  doctor  take  the 
piecei?  of  flesh  and  the  drops  of  blood  from  his  arm  to 
be  infused  into  his  mother.  He  refused,  and  then  she 
broke  down  in  deep  sorrow  and  discouragement. 

One  day  the  missionary  nurse  found  her  weeping  and 
sat  down  by  her  side  and  asked  her  if  she  would  allow 
her  to  give  her  flesh  and  blood  to  heal  her.  She  was 
deeply  moved  at  the  offer,  and  although  she  protested 
that  it  was  too  much  to  ask,  yet  she  allowed  the  operation 
to  be  performed.  Day  by  day  she  continued  to  improve, 
and  at  length  the  arm  was  healed,  and  a  white  patch  of 
pure  flesh  and  skin  covered  the  place  where  the  ulcer 
so  long  had  consumed  her  flesh. 


wm 


mmmm 


118 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


■*■    ! 


One  day  the  missionary  nurse  saw  her  weeping  again 
and  looking  at  her  healed  arm  with  strange  tenderness. 
She  asjied  her  what  was  the  matter,  and  the  native  woman 
said,  "Teacher,  I  have  been  looking  at  this  white  spot 
on  my  arm,  and  thinking  you  gave  me  your  flesh  and 
blood  to  heal  my  poor  diseased  body.  Why  could  you 
doit?" 

And  the  teacher  said,  "It  was  only  for  love  of  Jesus, 
because  He  gave  His  life  for  me." 

The  poor  Chinese  woman  wept  afresh,  and  looking  up, 
she  said,  "Teacher,  I  want  your  Jesus.  If  He  can  make 
you  love  me  that  way,  when  my  own  son  refused  to  save 
me,  I  want  Him  to  be  my  Jesus,  too."  And  that  poor 
Chinese  woman  was  brought  to  Christ  by  the  love  of  a 
missionary  who  could  give  her  very  flesh  to  her. 

0,  beloved,  as  I  look  at  these  veins  that  were  once  so 
dark  with  the  currents  of  disease,  and  tMnk  of  Him  who 
not  only  gave  His  life  for  me,  but  who  every  morning 
freshly  gives  it  to  me,  how  can  I  live  for  myself;  how 
can  I  live  for  the  world ;  how  can  I  prostitute  to  sin  these 
God-given  powers;  how  can  I  but  feel,  as  this  text  has 
said,  "I  am  not  my  own,  I  am  bought  with  a  price,  I 
will  glorify  God  in  my  body  which  is  God's"? 

God  help  us  so  to  receive  the  life  of  Jesus,  and  so  to 
give  it  forth  in  holy,  consecrated  service  for  Him,  and 
for  the  world,  which  can  only  be  brought  to  Him  by  the 
living  pattern  of  His  great  love,  and  by  the  indwelling 
of  His  own  wondrous  life,  through  the  Holy  Ghost  which 
is  given  to  us ! 


CHAPTER  XII. 
THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  THE  BODY  OF  CHRIST. 

**For  by  one  Spirit  are  we  all  baptized  into  one  body,  whether 
we  be  Jews  or  GentOes,  whether  we  bo  bond  or  free;  and  have 
been  all  made  to  drink  into  one  Spirit," — 1  Cor.  12:  13. 

THE  whole  of  this  wonderful  chapter  is  devoted  to 
the  unfolding  of  the  profound  truth  that  the  church 
is  the  body  of  Christ,  and  that  the  Holy  Ghost  is 
the  life  of  the  church,  constituting  and  sustaining  its 
union  with  Christ,  the  living  Head,  and  clothing  it  with 
divine  power  and  efficiency  for  its  holy  ministry. 


THE  HOLY  GHOST  CONSTITUTES  THE  BODY  OF  CHRIST. 


<( ' 


■  For  by  one  Spirit  are  we  all  baptized  into  one  body. ' ' 
The  church  is  not  an  organization.  It  is  an  organic 
life;  it  is  a  living  body  constituted  by  the  Holy  Ghost, 
and  united  to  Jesus  Christ,  its  life  and  living  Head. 
Eve  was  created  in  the  person  of  Adam,  at  first,  and  then, 
afterwards  was  taken  from  him  by  the  special  act  of  God, 
and  united  to  him  as  his  bride.  So  the  Church  is  taken 
out  of  Christ  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  then  given  back 
to  Hin^  in  divine  union,  as  His  glorious  Bride. 

Each  individual  member  is  thus  called  and  created 
an  \v  in  Christ  Jesus  and,  one  by  one,  the  Lord  adds  to 
Himself  and  to  His  Churcii  such  as  shall  be  saved.  No 
other  power  can  constitute  a  church.  Men  may  be  added 
to  organizationL,  but  this  does  not  make  them  the  body 
of  Christ.  The  union  must  be  vital;  the  work  must  be 
divine.  It  is  called  a  baptism.  This  word  expresses  the 
deep  truth  of  death  and  resurrection.  It  is  by  the  death 
of  our  natural  life  and  the  resurrection  life  of  the  Lord 
Jesus   Christ,   that   we  become   incorporated   into   His 

119 


120 


POWER  PROM  ON  HIGH 


'i)k 


glorious  body  and  united  with  His  lii'o  as  the  great  Head 
of  the  Chureh. 

Everything  pertaining?  to  the  natural  life  is  incon- 
gruous with  the  true  Church  of  Christ.  The  greatest 
curse  of  the  church  today  is  the  carnal  element  that  still 
adheres  to  it  through  unsanctified  men.  The  greatest 
need  of  the  Church  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  to  be 
baptized  into  death  through  His  cross,  and  raised  into 
His  divine  life.  This  the  Hol.y  Ghost  alone  can  do.  This 
He  is  doing,  member  by  member  and  moment  by  moment, 
as  the  days  go  by,  gathering  out  of  every  people  and 
kindred  and  tongue,  a  body  for  the  Lord,  a  Bride  for 
the  Lamb.  And  when  the  last  member  shall  be  gathered 
and  the  Bride  shall  be  complete,  the  Lord  will  come  and 
unite  His  body  to  its  waiting  and  glorified  Head. 

So  those  alone  belong  to  the  true  body  of  Christ,  who 
through  the  Holy  Ghost,  have  passed  through  death  into 
resurrection.  ''For  by  one  Spirit  are  we  all  baptized 
into  one  body. 


>> 


n. 


;'.  ■)• 


THE    HOLY    GHOST    SUSTAINS    THE    LIFE    OF    THE    CHURCH. 

The  apostle  adds  in  the  same  verse,  "We  have  all  been 
made  to  drmk  into  that  one  Spirit."  It  is  one  thing  to 
be  baptized  into  the  body,  it  is  another  thing  to  drink 
of  the  ocean  into  which  we  have  been  plunged. 

The  Holy  Ghost  becomes  the  vital  element  of  our  new 
life.  In  Him  we  live,  and  move,  and  have  our  being. 
As  the  bird  lives  in  the  air,  as  the  fish  lives  in  the  sea, 
as  the  flower  lives  on  the  sunshine,  so  we  live  in  the  ele- 
ment of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  and,  as  we  drink  of  His  fullness, 
our  life  is  maintained  and  grows  into  the  maturity  of 
Christ. 

This  is  the  secret  of  being  filled  with  the  Spirit,  and 
this  is  the  source  of  f ruitfulness  and  life.  Have  we  thus 
been  made  to  drink  into  that  one  Spiri ,  ?  He  has  to  make 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  THE  BODY  OF  CHRIST      121 

US  drink.  He  has  to  make  us  so  hungry  and  thirsty  that 
we  will  fly  to  Him  for  His  life  and  love.  He  has  to 
press  us  into  the  hard  emergency,  so  as  to  constrain  us 
to  receive  His  fullness.  And  thus  He  is  watering,  nour- 
ishing, filling,  and  perfecting  His  glorious  workmanship, 
and  preparing  it  for  the  maturity  of  the  body  and  the 
fullness  of  Christ. 

ni. 


THE   HOLY   GHOST  UNITES  THE  BODY. 

"For  there  is  one  body,"  not  two,  ''and  as  we  have 
many  members  in  one  body,  so  also  is  Christ." 

1.  He  unites  us  to  Christ  the  Head,  and  then  He  unites 
us  to  one  another  in  Him.  Each  individual  is  connected 
directly  with  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  as  the  source  of  his 
individual  life,  and  from  Him  life  must  come  to  every 
member  and  extremity  of  the  body. 

But  He  needs  His  Church  just  as  much  as  His  Church 
needs  Him.  What  is  a  head  without  a  body?  What  is  a 
body  without  a  head  ?  And  so  the  Church  here  is  called 
by  a  very  solemn  name, ' '  So  also  is  Christ. ' '  The  Church 
is  spoken  of  as  Christ;  the  Head  in  heaven  is  Christ; 
the  body  on  earth  is  Christ.  It  represents  Him ;  it  stands 
for  His  merits,  rights,  and  name.  His  holy  character, 
and  vital  power.  It  is  filled  with  His  life;  its  holiness 
is  His  presence;  its  physical  strength  is  derived  from 
His  resurrection  life,  and  all  its  power  is  just  the  working 
out  of  the  ascended  Lord.  He  is  still  working 
through  it,  and  continuing  to  work,  as  He  began  on  earth, 
and  we  can  look  up,  and  say,  *'As  He  is,  so  are  we  also  in 
this  world."  All  our  sufferings  He  shares.  The  most 
tender  cords  of  sympathy  bind  us  to  Him.  When  His 
disciples  are  persecuted  and  hurt.  His  heart  from  the 
throne  is  thrilled  with  sympathetic  pain,  and  He  cries, 
"Why  persecutest  thou  Me?" 

2.  But  not  only  so,  the  Holy  Ghost  unites  the  members 
also  together.    "Therefore  if  one  member  suffer,  all  the 


I 


122 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


members  suffer  with  it;  if  one  member  be  honored,  all 
the  members  rejoice  with  it."  Weakness  or  disease  in 
any  portion  of  the  human  body  affects  the  whole ;  so  the 
morbid  sickly  condition  of  so  many  members  of  the 
Church  of  Christ  today  affects  the  whole  body,  and  holds 
back  the  strength  of  Christ's  cause  from  accomplishing 
results  which  He  has  a  right  to  expect. 

Therefore  it  is  a  very  solemn  thing  to  be  responsible 
for  schism  or  separation  in  the  Church.  When  we  do 
we  sin  against  the  heart  of  Jesus,  we  sin  against  the 
Holy  Ghost,  we  sin  against  the  very  body  of  Christ. 
Therefore  it  is  not  only  necessary  to  keep  from  offences, 
injuries,  and  attacks  upon  the  body  of  Christ;  but  we 
must  also  maintain  a  healthful  spiritual  condition,  or 
we  shall  defile  the  whole  body  by  sympathetic  contact. 
And,  therefore,  if  we  are  filled  with  the  Spirit,  we  shall 
have  a  very  tender,  compassionate  and  sympathetic  heart 
toward  Christ's  Church,  and  shall  be  solicitous  and  sen- 
sitive for  her  welfare  and  prosperity.  It  will  be  our  joy, 
like  the  great  apostle's,  *'to  be  offered  upon  the  sacrifice 
and  services  of  her  faith,"  and  to  ''fill  up  that  which 
remains  of  the  sufferings  of  Christ  for  His  body,  the 
Church;"  sharing  with  the  blessed  Head  the  needs  of 
His  people,  bearing  one  another's  burdens,  and  so  ful- 
filling the  law  of  Christ. 

IV. 

THE  HOLY  GHOST   ENDUES   AND  ENABLES   THE   BODY   OP 
CHRIST  FOR  ITS  VARIOUS  MINISTRIES. 

This  is  the  special  theme  of  this  chapter  and  all  we 
have  said  leads  up  to  it. 

1.  Every  ministry,  in  order  to  be  effectual,  must  be 
inspired  and  made  efficient  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  No  man 
can  rightly  say  that  Jesus  Christ  is  Lord,  save  by  the 
Holy  Ghost.  God  cannot  use  secular  and  natural  gifts 
apart  from  the  Holy  Spirit.  "If  any  man  speak,  let  him 
do  it  as  the  oracle  of  God ;  if  any  man  minister,  let  him 


t 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  THE  BODY  OF  CHRIST     123 


do  it  as  of  the  ability  that  God  giveth,  that  God  in  all 
things  may  be  glorified  through  Jesus  Christ."  It  is 
not  splendid  talent,  it  is  not  deep  culture,  that  constitute 
efficiency  in  the  body  of  Christ,  it  is  simply  and  absolutely 
the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  It  is  a  divine  ministry 
and  must  have  a  divine  equipment. 

2.  We  are  also  taught  that  every  member  of  the  Church 
may  have  the  Holy  Ghost  for  service;  for  **the  mani- 
festation of  the  Spirit  is  given  to  every  man  to  profit 
withal ' ' ;  that  is  to  say,  the  Holy  Ghost  is  no  respecter 
of  persons,  but  is  ready  to  endue  and  enable  every 
servant  of  Christ  for  the  work  to  which  he  is  called,  and 
the  place  in  the  body  to  which  he  is  appointed. 

This  blessed  enduement  is  not  for  apostles,  prophets, 
miracle  workers,  teachers,  special  officials,  merely,  but 
for  every  member  of  the  Church  of  God.  Every  part  of 
the  body  is  necessary  and  important,  and,  as  the  apostle 
reasons  very  beautifully  from  human  physiology,  the 
weakest  and  humblest  members  of  the  human  frame  are 
often  most  highly  honored;  so  also,  in  the  Church  of 
Christ,  God  uses  and  honors  the  weakest  and  the  low- 
liest, filling  them  with  His  own  enabling,  and  thus  glori- 
fying His  own  grace. 

3.  There  is  infinite  variety.  As  in  the  human  body, 
every  member  has  his  separate  office,  and  the  unity  is 
enriched  by  the  diversity  which  it  harmonizes.  God  does 
not  want  any  man  to  copy  another,  but  each  to  be  himself, 
with  God  added. 

Our  ministries  are  determined  in  some  measure  by  our 
place  in  the  body,  by  our  environment,  by  the  circum- 
stances and  providences  amid  which  we  are  placed,  by 
leadings,  and  natural  instincts  and  preferences,  and  by 
the  gifts  both  of  nature  and  of  grace.  Just  where  we  are, 
the  Holy  Ghost  waits  to  equip  us,  enable  us,  and  fit  us  for 
higher  usefulness,  and  most  efficient  service. 

He  names  a  number  of  these  gifts.  Some  are  called 
to  be  apostles,  some  prophets,  some  evangelists,  some 


'■■'  I 


m 


-jif. 


124 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


pastors  and  teachers,  some  workers  of  miracles,  some 
counsellors,  some  just  helps,  and  some  governments ;  but 
j'ou  will  notice,  that  the  helps  come  before  the  govern- 
ments, and  the  teachers  come  before  the  miracle  workers. 
It  is  not  brilliancy  that  God  recognizes,  but  service ;  and 
if  you  cannot  be  a  wonder  worker,  you  can  be  at  least  a 
little  lamp  to  give  light  to  the  path  of  some  traveller, 
or  you  can  be  an  armor-bearer  to  stand  beside  some  other 
worker  and  help  along. 

4.  Each  of  these  gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost  is  administered 
by  the  Holy  Ghost  Himself.  The  man,  who  is  used  as  an 
instrument,  does  not  receive  the  glory  and  is  not  recog- 
nized as  the  worker,  but  simply  as  the  instrument.  And 
so  we  have  the  signijScant  expression,  ' '  All  these  worketh 
that  one  and  the  self -same  Spirit."  It  is  the  Spirit 
that  works,  and  the  man  is  just  the  vessel  through  whom 
He  exercises  His  sovereign  and  Almighty  grace.  As 
Richard  Baxter  has  put  it  so  wisely,  ''Each  of  us  is  just 
a  pen  in  the  hand  of  God,  and  what  honor  is  there  in  a 
pen  ? ' '  While  we  recognize  this  we  shall  be  saved  from  all 
self-consciousness,  egotism,  and  elation,  and  we  shall  lie 
in  the  dust  at  His  blessed  feet,  hidden  and  empty  vessels, 
in  the  place  where  He  can  use  us  best. 

5.  There  is  one  other  thought  of  great  significance,  and 
that  is,  that  as  the  servant  uses  the  gift,  it  grows — '  *  The 
manifestation  of  the  Spirit  is  given  to  every  man  to  profit 
withal."  As  we  wisely  use  and  faithfully  improve  the 
gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  they  grow  in  effectiveness  and 
we  become  more  and  more  used  and  honored  of  God, 
until  He  may  be  pleased  to  add  to  us  not  only  one,  but 
many  gifts,  as  we  covet  earnestly  the  best  gifts,  and  He 
shall  multiply  the  fruit  of  our  service  by  thousands  and 
tens  of  thousands,  so  that,  in  the  day  of  recompense,  our 
seed  shall  be  as  the  stars  of  heaven  and  our  crown  shall 
be  brighter  than  their  supernal  light. 

What  a  solemn  truth  it  is  to  have  God  Himself  as  our 
Enabler,  our  Enduement  for  service !  Yes,  He  has  given 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  THE  BODY  OF  CHRIST     125 

to  US  a  crown  to  win ;  He  has  given  t  >  us  a  life  in  which 
to  win  It;  He  has  given  to  us  an  age  of  extraordinary 
opportunities,  and  He  has  given  us  the  Holy  Ghost  to 
work  out  in  our  lives  the  highest  passibilities  of  existence. 
Crod  help  us  to  be  true  to  our  tremendous  trust,  and  to 
our  brief  but  infinite  opportunities,  through  the  grace 
^  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  the  power  of  the  blessed 
Holy  Ghost. 


If 


M 


•J  I 


CHAPTER  XIII. 
THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  SECOND  CORINTHIANS. 

"Now,  He  which  stablisheth  us  with  you  in  Christ,  and  hath 
anointed  us^  is  God;  who  hath  also  sealed  us,  and  given  the 
earnest  of  the  Spirit  in  our  hearts." — 2  Cor.  1:  21,  22. 

"Forasmuch  as  yo  are  manifestly  declared  to  be  the  epistle 
of  Christ  ministered  by  us,  not  written  with  ink,  but  with  the 
Spirit  of  the  living  God;  not  in  tables  of  stone,  but  in  fleshy 
tables   of    the    heart. '  '—2    Cor.    3 :  3. 

**But  wo  all,  with  open  face  beholding  as  in  a  glass  tho  glory 
of  the  Lord,  are  changed  into  tho  same  image  from  glory  to 
glory,  even  as  by  tho  Spirit  of  tho  Lord." — 2  Cor.  3:  18. 

THESE  three  verses  present  to  us  five  striking  and 
instructive  symbols  of  the  Holy  Spirit ;  jewels,  they 
are,  of  holy  metaphor,  flashing  celestial  light  from 
their  faces,  and  speaking  of  the  deepest  truths  of  Chris- 
tian experience. 

I. 

THE    ANOINTING. 

"He  which  stablisheth  us  with  you  in  Christ,  and  hath 
anointed  us,  is  God." 

The  figure  of  anointing  runs  through  all  the  Scrip- 
tures, and  it  is  crystalized  in  the  very  name  of  Christ 
and  Christian.  Christ  means  the  Anointed  One,  and  the 
Christian  is  the  Christ-one,  or  the  one  that  has  been  an- 
ointed with  the  Holy  Ghost. 

We  see  it  in  all  the  ceremonies  of  the  Old  Testament. 
Especially  was  it  employed  in  the  setting  apart  of  the 
three  great  officials  of  the  Old  Testament;  the  prophet, 
the  priest,  and  the  king. 

Prophets  were  anointed  that  they  might  be  set  apart 
as  witnesses  and  messengers  of  the  will  of  God,  and  so 
we  are  God's  witnesses  and  messengers. 

Priests  were  anointed  to  stand  between  God  and  the 

126 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  SECOND  (X)BINTHIAN8     12'3 


the 


people,  and  make  intercession  in  behalf  of  others;  and 
so  we  are  anointed  as  God's  holy  priesthood,  to  come  near 
into  His  presence,  to  worship  at  His  feet,  to  present  the 
incense  of  faith,  love,  and  devotion,  to  bear  upon  our 
hearts  the  sufferings,  sins,  and  needs  of  others,  and  to 
share  the  priesthood  of  our  glorified  Master. 

And  kings  were  anointed  to  rule  in  the  name  of  God, 
and  to  stand  in  glorious  majesty  representing  Jehovah 
to  the  people;  and  so  we  are  a  royal  priesthood,  kings 
and  priests  unto  God  and  His  Father;  and,  possessing 
the  Holy  Ghost,  ours  shall  be  a  regnant  life,  victorious 
over  self  and  sin,  triumphant  over  temptations  and  dif- 
ficulties, and  glorious  in  the  dignity  of  our  high  calling. 

For  this  threefold  ministry  we  are  anointed  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.  Only  the  Holy  Spirit  can  fit  us  for  so 
high  a  calling,  and  He  is  given  to  every  follower  of 
Jesus  who  is  willing  to  receive  and  obey  Him. 

The  figure  of  anointing  is  used  with  still  more  wide  and 
beautiful  significance.  It  speaks  of  holy  gladness, — 
"Anointed  with  the  oil  of  gladness  above  our  fellows." 
"Thou  anointest  my  head  with  oil,  my  cup  runneth 
over.'*  It  is  the  symbol  of  healing,  "anointing  with  oil 
in  the  name  of  the  Lord;  and  the  prayer  of  faith  shall 
save  the  sick,  and  the  Lord  shall  raise  him  up." 

This  anointing  is  the  privilege  of  the  humblest  be- 
liever, and  of  the  most  unworthy  sinner  that  is  willing  to 
receive  Jesns  and  be  baptized  with  the  Holy  Ghost. 
There  is  no  more  beautiful  figure  of  the  anointing,  in 
the  Old  Testament,  than  the  story  of  the  leper  in  the 
book  of  Leviticus.  A  poor  outcast,  unworthy  and  sinful, 
he  was  brought  unto  the  priest  in  his  helplessness  and 
misery;  then  he  was  touched  with  the  blood,  washed  with 
the  water,  disrobed,  and  cleansed;  and  then  he  was 
clothed  upon  in  the  garments  of  holiness;  the  blood  of 
the  oil  touched  the  tip  of  his  ear,  his  thumb,  and  his 
foot,  and  he,  too,  became  an  anointed  one. 

So,  still,  the  most  helpless,  hopeless,  and  worthless  may 


fl 


128 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


'■'■ 


receive  the  very  highest  gift  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
the  blessed  Holy  Ghost,  aiid  say  with  the  apostle,  "Now 
He  which  stablisheth  us  in  Cnrist,  and  hath  anointed  us, 
is  God";  and  then  go  forth  to  say  with  the  JMaster, 
*'The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me;  foi  He  hath 
anointed  me  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  poor,  to  bind  up 
the  broken-hearted,  to  proclaim  deliverance  to  the  cap- 
tives, the  recovering  of  sight  to  the  blind,  and  set  at 
liberty  them  that  are  bruised,  to  preach  the  acceptable 
year  of  the  Lord," 

n. 

THE  SEAL. 

The  seal  is  associated  with  all  the  relies  of  antiquity 
and  all  the  customs  of  business  in  every  age.  It  is  used 
first  to  authenticate  and  certify ;  and  so  the  Holy  Ghost 
certifies  the  believer,  putting  the  stamp  of  God  upon 
him,  giving  to  him  the  witness  of  his  acceptance  and  the 
assurance  of  His  full  salvation. 

Next,  the  seal  is  the  token  of  ownership;  and  so  the 
Holy  Ghost  sets  us  apart,  stamping  us  as  the  property 
of  God,  and  marking  us  as  no  longer  our  own,  but  the 
purchased  possession  of  Jesus  Christ,  bought  by  His 
blood,  bound  to  live  for  His  service  and  glory. 

Again,  the  seal  is  the  expression  of  reality.  It  cuts 
its  impression  in  the  wax  and  makes  it  real,  tangible  and 
enduring ;  and  so  the  Holy  Ghost  makes  the  things  that 
we  have  known,  real,  and  turns  into  actual  experience 
that  which  was  before  but  theory.  He  malces  truth  real; 
He  makes  Christ  real ;  He  makes  divine  things  facts  in 
our  consciousness  and  our  blessed  experience. 

Finally,  the  seal  transfers  the  image  and  the  Holy 
Ghost  imparts  to  our  receptive  hearts  the  very  image  of 
Jesus  Christ,  and  leaves  the  stamp  of  His  character  upon 
our  lives. 

You  cannot,  however,  affix  the  seal  to  the  hard  and 
settled  wax.    It  must  be  soft  and  melted;  then  the  im- 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  SECOND  CORINTHIANS     129 


the 
)erty 
the 
His 


pression  is  easily  made  and  becomes  fixed  and  abiding; 
and  so  God  has  to  soften  our  hearts  before  He  can  seal 
them.  Oh,  the  blessedness  of  brokenness!  The  Holy 
Spirit  is  ever  seeking  to  melt  our  rigidness  into  tender- 
ness, so  that  He  can  impress  upon  us  the  stamp  of  His 
ownership  and  His  image,  and  make  us  the  representa- 
tives of  Christ  to  all  who  see  and  know  us. 

The  sealing  of  the  Holy  Ghost  is  a  very  definite  and 
explicit  act.  In  the  Epistle  to  the  Ephesians  we  are 
told  exactly  when  it  occurs.  "After  ye  believed,  ye  were 
sealed  with  that  Holy  Spirit  of  promise. ' '  We  first  yield 
ourselves,  and  then  we  believe  and  receive  the  Holy  Ghost 
by  a  definite  act  of  committal  and  faith ;  then  His  work 
begins. 

We  come  and  set  our  seal  to  the  divine  covenant; 
for  "he  that  hath  received  Him,  hath  set  his  seal  that 
God  is  true."  And  then,  on  our  seal,  which  we  have 
affixed  with  our  trusting,  trembling  hands,  the  Holy 
Ghost  comes  and  puts  down  His  mighty  seal  upon  us, 
the  double  stamp  is  given,  and  we  are  fully  sealed  unto 
the  day  of  redemption. 

Beloved,  have  you  received  the  anointing,  have  you 
been  sealed  by  the  Holy  Ghost  ? 


If 


m. 


and 
im- 


THE  EARNEST. 

This  is  also  a  very  significant  word.  It  has  been  re- 
produced in  almost  all  languages  from  the  original  He- 
brew. The  very  same  Hebrew  word  reappears  in  the 
Greek  language  and  in  other  tongues. 

It  represents  the  first  installment  in  the  purchase. 
When  I  buy  a  piece  of  land,  I  make  a  payment  on  the 
signing  of  the  contract,  and  the  seller  is  bound  by  my 
payment  to  make  good  to  me  the  deed  in  due  time,  and  I 
am  bound  to  follow  it  up  with  the  complete  payment.    It 


130 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


',;  I 


is  a  first  installment,  a  part  payment,  binding  the  whole 
transaction. 

It  has  still  another  sense  closely  akin  to  this.  In 
Oriental  countries  and  ancient  times,  the  seller,  also, 
gave  a  first  installment,  as  well  as  the  buyer.  Takinjif  a 
little  handful  of  soil  from  the  land  purchased,  he  put 
it  into  a  bag  and  handed  it  to  the  purchaser  as  a  pledge 
of  the  whole  property's  being  transferred  to  him  in  due 
time.  It  was  the  very  same  soil  as  he  had  bought,  though 
only  a  portion  of  it,  but  it  was  the  guarantee  that  all  the 
rest  should  be  duly  transferred. 

So  the  Holy  Ghost  is  to  us  the  payment  in  part,  and  the 
pledge  in  full,  of  our  complete  inheritance.  He  is  the 
first  fruit  of  the  harvest,  He  is  the  first  portion  of  the 
inheritance.  He  brings  into  our  heart  and  life  the  very 
same  blessed  reality  which  heaven  will  complete ;  the  only 
difference  will  be  in  measure  and  degree.  And  so  we 
have  the  double  earnest.  First,  we  have  Him  in  our 
hearts  as  the  earnest  of  the  spiritual  inheritance  which 
heaven  will  bring.  But  a  little  later,  in  the  fifth  chapter 
and  the  fifth  verse,  we  have  a  little  different  phase  of  the 
earnest.  "Now  Hg  which  hath  wrought  us  for  this  very 
thing  is  God,  who  hath  also  given  us  the  earnest  of  the 
Spirit. ' '  Now,  the  very  thing  of  which  Paul  is  speaking 
th'-re  is  not  our  spiritual  inheritance,  but  our  physical 
)nh<^^ritance  in  God.  It  is  the  resurrection  body,  it  is  the 
glory  which  Christ  is  to  bring,  when  we  shall  be  clothed 
upon  with  our  house  which  is  from  heaven,  and  he 
clearly  states  here  that  the  Holy  Spirit  is  the  earnest  of 
this,  also. 

What  can  this  mean  but  the  blessed  truth  and  the  still 
more  blessed  experience  to  many  of  us — the  Holy  Ghost 's 
imparting  to  the  body  the  very  principle  of  the  resurrec- 
tion life,  quickening  it,  exhilarating  it,  strengthening  it, 
inspiring  it  with  divine  life  and  vigor,  lifting  it  above 
disease  and  pain,  and  anticipating,  in  some  little  meas 
ure,  the  glory  of  the  resurrection.  • 


THE  HOLY  81MKIT  IN  HECOND  CORINTHIANS     131 


IV. 


Still 
lost's 
irrec- 

ig  it, 
ibove 

leas 


EI'ISTLES  OP  CHRIST. 

**  Forasmuch  as  ye  are  manifestly  declared  to  be 
the  epistle  of  Christ  ministered  by  us,  written  not  with 
ink,  but  with  the  Spirit  of  the  living  God;  not  in 
tables  of  stone,  but  in  fleshy  tables  of  the  heart."  2 
Corinthians  3 : 3. 

We  have  here  a  new  fipfure  of  the  Holy  Spirit  as  the 
great  Recorder  transcribing  Christ  and  Ilis  character 
and  life  upon  the  living  tablets  of  human  hearts  and 
lives.  It  is  a  beautiful  ^gv  "^' ;  each  of  us  is  represented 
as  a  volume  published  to  the  world,  and  carrying  to  men 
the  message  of  Christ.  It  is  the  only  volume  that 
many  ever  read.  It  is  the  Bible  bound,  not  in  Russia, 
nor  Morocco,  nor  cloth,  but  in  human  lives.  This  is  the 
work  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  this  is  the  highest  min- 
istry of  every  consecrated  life.  Beloved,  are  we  thus 
revealing  Christ  to  the  world  ?  Are  we  thus  carrying  the 
living  message  of  His  love  and  will  to  men  and  women 
around  us  ?  Are  we  written  on  by  the  finger  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  T  Oh,  how  sacred  were  those  holy  tables  of  stone 
on  which  God's  own  fingers  recorded  the  ancient  law, 
and  which  He  deposited  for  safe  keeping  in  the  Ark  of 
the  Covenant!  How  much  more  sacred  the  tables  on 
which  the  Holy  Spirit  is  now  inscribing  the  very  life 
of  Jesus,  and  entrusting  to  the  keeping  of  our  conse- 
crated lives! 

God  help  us  to  receive  the  message  and  then  to  pub- 
lish it  so  truly,  so  sweetly,  so  wisely  and  so  consistently, 
that  it  may  be  known  and  read  of  all  men,  and  that  it 
shall  minister  Christ  to  a  world  that  will  not  read  His 
Bible,  and  does  not  know  His  grace.  iVs  has  been  hap- 
pily said,  "Each  of  us  is  either  a  Bible  or  a  libel." 
God  help  us  to  be  living  epistles  of  Jesus  Christ  in  the 
power  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 


132 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


V. 


PHOTOGRAI'HS    OP   JESUS. 

*  *  But  we  all,  with  open  face  beholding  as  in  a  glass  the 
glory  of  the  I^ord,  are  changed  into  the  same  image  from 
glory  to  glory,  even  as  by  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord."  2 
Cor.  3 :  18. 

This  is  the  last  of  these  metaphors  of  the  Spirit,  and 
it  carries  the  thought  to  a  beautiful  and  perfect  climax. 
We  are  not  only  books,  but  we  are  illustrated  books ;  we 
are  not  only  epistles  of  Christ,  but  we  are  photographs 
01  Christ.  In  the  center  of  the  volume  of  our  life  is  a 
living  picture,  which  the  Holy  Ghost  is  ever  perfecting, 
and  in  which  He  is  revealing  to  the  world  the  very  glory 
of  Jesus. 

The  idea  is  very  striking,  and  exquisitely  fine.  We  are 
represented  as  gazing  with  fixed  look  upon  the  face  of 
Jesus  Christ,  and,  as  we  gaze,  His  likeness  is  reflected 
in  our  countenance ;  the  Ploly  Ghost  is  taking  a  picture 
of  Jesus,  not  on  a  sensitive  plate,  as  in  our  photographic 
art,  but  on  a  human  face,  and  the  face  becomes  a  living 
illustration  to  the  world  of  the  glory  of  our  Lord. 

In  order  that  this  picture  may  be  perfectly  taken,  we 
must  keep  our  c "yn  face  steadfast,  and  our  eye  fixed  upon 
Him,  and  as  we  do  so  His  gloiy  is  reflected  in  our  coun- 
tenance, and  His  Very  image  is  reproduced  in  our  face. 
It  is  also  necessary  that  we  must  gaze  with  open  face. 
There  must  be  no  veil  nor  cloud  between.  As  in  the 
photographer's  art,  the  little  covering  must  be  removed 
from  the  face  of  the  camera  in  order  that  the  impression 
may  be  taken ;  so  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  every  obstruc- 
tion must  be  put  aside,  and  with  unclouded  face  and 
single  eye  we  must  look  steadfastly  to  Him ;  and  as  we 
become  occupied  with  Christ,  and  abide  in  His  fellow- 
ship, His  glorious  likeness  is  reproduced  in  us,  and 
we  stand  before  the  world,  not  only  living  epistles  but 
living  likenesses,  of  our  blessed  Lord.     Sublime  con- 


THE  HOLY  SPIEIT  IN  SECOND  CORINTHIANS    133 


ception!  We  are  illustrated  volumes,  revealing  to  the 
world  our  blessed  Saviour,  even  as  He  revealed  to  the 
world  His  glorious  Father. 

It  was  His  to  be  the  brightness  of  the  Father's  glory 
and  the  express  image  of  His  person.  It  is  ours  to  be 
the  image  of  His  glory  and  the  express  image  of  Him. 
As  He  represented  God,  so  we  are  to  represent  Christ, 
and  men  will  know  Him  by  what  they  see  of  Him  in  us. 

This  is  the  blessed  work  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  He  is  the 
Artist  that  stands  behind  the  canvas  and  brings  out  the 
glorious,  heavenly  picture.  Not  only  so,  but  He  makes 
a  living  picture.  We  are  not  stereotyped  and  put  away 
in  a  cabinet,  but  the  picture  is  renewed  from  day  to 
day,  and  each  day  should  be  brighter  than  the  past.  It 
is  **from  glory  to  glory,"  even  brighter  and  brighter 
until  it  shall  be  lost  in  the  light  of  heaven.  It  is  not 
even  "from  grace  to  glory."  We  are  to  reach  the  stage 
of  glory,  and  then  go  on  "from  glory  to  glory"  in  in- 
creasing lustre  forever. 

Beloved,  have  v/e  understood  these  things?  Oh,  may 
the  Holy  Ghost  enable  us  to  realize  and  fully  prove 
the  blessed  meaning  of  these  five  heavenly  symbols  of  the 
Holy  Ghost — the  anointing,  the  seal,  the  earnest,  the 
living  epistles,  and  the  living  photograph  of  the  Sa- 
viour's face  1    Amen. 


I! 


t ; 


in 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  GALATIANS. 

"If  we  live  iu  the  Spirit,  let  us  also  walk  in  the  Spirit."' — 
Gal.  5:  25. 

THE    Galatians  were  the   Scottish   Highlanders  of 
ancient  times  and  the  ancestors,  also,  of  the  hot- 
blooded  race  that  transferred  the  name   of  Gaul 
from  the  Province  of  Galatia  to  ancient  France. 

They  were  a  warm-hearted  and  generous  pec  ^'%  quick 
to  receive  the  teachings  of  Paul,  and  qui  v.  u.^u  to  be 
led  astray  by  the  false  teachers  that  followed  him.  And 
so  we  find  him  warning  and  pleading  with  them,  with 
his  warm-hearted  enthusiasm,  against  the  seductions  of 
the  Judaizing  party,  who  had  begun  to  lead  them  back 
from  the  simplicity  of  Christ  to  the  entanglements  of 
the  law. 

The  theme,  therefore,  of  the  Epistle,  suited  to  the 
condition  of  the  Galatians,  is  free  grace.  In  opposition 
to  the  misleading  men  who  were  seducing  them  from  the 
liberty  of  the  gospel,  he  reiterates,  again  and  again, 
the  freeness  of  the  grace  that  saved  them  at  the  be*  *;- 
ning,  and  that  now  must  still  sanctify  and  lead  the^  .  i 
the  way  through. 

And  so  this  thought  gives  tone  to  all  the  apostle's 
references  to  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  epistle.  These  ref- 
erences are  by  no  means  few  or  unimportant,  and  they 
are  all  touched  with  the  complexion  of  this  glorious  . 
theme,  the  freeness  of  the  Gospel  and,  of  course,  infer- 
entially,  the  freeness  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 


I. 

The  Holy  Ghost  is  received  by  faith  and  not  by  the 
works  of  the  law. 

134 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  GALATIANS 


135 


it. 


the 


'0,  foolish  Galatians,  who  hath  bewitched  you?  This 
only  would  I  leam  of  you.  Received  ye  the  Spirit  by 
the  works  of  the  law,  or  by  the  hearing  of  faith?'*  Gal. 
3:1,  2. 

The  Holy  Ghost  is  just  as  freely  given  as  the  blood  of 
Jesus  and  the  justifying  righteousness  of  God  through 
Christ.  The  Holy  Ghost  is  promised  just  as  salvation 
is  promised,  and  received  just  as  salvation  is  received, 
by  simple  faith  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb,  and  the  act  of 
appropriating  the  blessing  to  ourselves.  Not  by  our 
surrendering,  not  by  our  consecration,  not  by  our  suf- 
ferings or  crucifixions,  but  by  simply  believing,  do  we 
receive  this  great  gift  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  blessed  Holy 
Ghost. 

He  is  not  given  because  we  deserve  it ;  He  is  not  given 
because  we  have  suffered;  He  is  not  given  to  those  who 
struggle,  but  He  is  freely  given  to  those  who  freely  re- 
ceive Him,  on  the  simple  promise  of  God,  and  by  child- 
like trust  in  His  grace  and  love. 

We  must  trust  the  Holy  Ghost  as  well  as  Jesus.  "We 
must  speak  to  the  rock  and  bid  the  waters  flow.  If  we 
strike  it  with  our  violent  hands  and  our  struggling  self- 
efforts  we  shall  only  keep  back  the  blessing  which  we 
seek.    Let  us  believe;  let  us  receive  the  Holy  Ghost. 

II. 

Our  whole  Christian  life  must  be  sustained  and  main- 
tained by  the  Holy  Ghost  through  the  same  simple  faith 
by  which  we  first  began.  And  so  we  read  again,  Gala- 
tians 3:3:  **Are  ye  so  foolish?  having  begun  in  the 
Spirit,  are  ye  now  made  perfect  by  the  flesh?" 

Oh,  how  many  are  so  foolish  I  They  begin  as  hopeless 
sinners  at  the  foot  of  the  cross,  taking  all  as  the  sover- 
eign gift  of  divine  mercy,  and  then  they  begin  to  build 
up  a  sort  of  reputation  and  condition  of  self-constituted 
strength  and  try  to  sanctify  themselves  by  their  own 
self-denials,  crucifixions,  and  ineffectual  struggles.  It 
is,  indeed,  utterly  foolish  and  vain.    We  need  the  same 


Si 


•j.aw'!'> 


136 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


i^ 


11 1 


grace  to  keep  us  as  saves  us  at  first.  "By  whom  also 
we  have  access  by  faith  into  this  grace  wherein  we 
stand." 

Our  Christian  life  is  just  a  succession  of  the  simple 
acts  of  faith  with  which  we  first  began.  **As  ye  have 
received  Christ  Jesus  the  Lord,  so  walk  in  Him."  And 
the  Holy  Ghost  is  essential  to  sustain  and  maintain  all 
the  exercises  of  spiritual  life  by  His  own  divine  effi- 
ciency and  spontaneous  working  to  the  very  close  of  our 
'■^hristian  life. 

beloved,  have  you  been  so  foolish?  Cease  your 
haid  and  vain  endeavors,  and  simply  abide  in  Him. 
Be  filled  with  the  Spirit,  and  the  fruit  will  take  care  of 
itself. 

m. 

Our  Christian  service  and  our  power  for  service 
through  the  Holy  Ghost  are  by  simple  faith  and  the 
free  grace  of  God  in  Christ.  And  so  we  have  the  next 
appeal  in  Galatians  3:5.  "He,  therefore,  that  min- 
istereth  to  you  the  Spirit,  and  worketh  miracles  among 
you,  doeth  He  it  by  tht  works  of  the  law,  or  by  the 
hearing  of  faith?" 

Yes,  the  very  ministry,  for  which  the  Holy  Ghost 
enables  us,  must  be  done  in  simple  faith  and  dependence 
upon  His  gracious  gifts.  The  Holy  Ghost  in  His  power 
for  service,  is  given  just  the  same  as  in  the  beginning, 
in  the  name  of  Jesus,  in  the  exercise  of  divine  mercy, 
and  by  simply  believing  God  and  taking  Him  at  His 
word.  According  to  our  faith  is  it  unto  us.  "He  that 
ministereth  the  Spirit";  here  is  not  some  man,  but  it  is 
God.  It  is  Jesus  that  ministereth  the  Holy  Ghost  and 
He  does  it  to  them  that  believe  and  as  they  believe. 
Would  we  then  have  this  deeper  fullness,  we  must  be- 
lieve in  the  Holy  Spirit;  we  must  receive  Him  by  im- 
plicit trust  in  the  promises  of  God. 


m 


THE  HOLY  SPIKIT  IN  GALATIANS 


137 


IV. 

"We  have  the  Holy  Spirit  next  presented  as  the  sum 
of  all  the  blessings  that  come  to  us  through  Christ  and 
the  great  covenant  with  Abraham  on  which  the  gospel 
is  founded  in  Gal.  3 :  13,  14,  *  *  Christ  hath  redeemed  us 
from  the  curse  of  the  law  .  .  .  that  the  blessing 
of  Abraham  might  come  upon  the  Gentiles,  that  we  might 
receive  the  promise  of  the  Spirit  through  faith." 

The  promise  of  the  Spirit,  therefore,  is  the  substance 
of  the  covenant  with  Abraham  and  the  supreme  blessing 
of  Christ's  redemption.  i\jid  as  the  covenant  with 
Abraham  was  purely  one  of  faith  and  not  of  works,  long 
antecedent  to  the  dispensation  of  law,  so  the  Holy  Ghost 
must  be  as  freely  given  as  all  the  other  blessings  of  the 
gospel.  The  inference  is  quite  justified  that  if  we  have 
not  received  the  Holy  Ghost  we  have  not  inherited  the 
full  blessings  of  the  covenant  with  Abraham,  and  the 
full  purchase  of  Christ's  redemption. 

The  Holy  Ghost  is  just  the  Agent  who  applies  to  us 
the  redemption  purchased  bv  Christ,  and  without  Him 
the  cross  becomes  but  a  vain  possibility  to  us,  and  the 
gospel  an  unfilled  promise. 

Beloved,  have  you  received  the  promise  of  the  Spirit? 
Other  promises  are  called  the  promises,  but  this  is  called 
THE  PROMISE;  it  is  the  one  all-embracing  promise  that 
includes  all  the  rest,  and  without  it  all  the  rest  are  vain. 
Oh,  let  us  claim  the  promise  of  the  Father,  and  the  in- 
heritance of  faith  in  all  its  blessed  fullness! 


!  I 

i 


r 

u 

.*  f 


it 


THE  SPIRIT  OP  SONSniP  AND  OF  CHRIST. 

The  Holy  Ghost  is  next  p.'esented,  in  this  beautiful 
epistle,  as  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  dwelling 
in  our  heart  through  our  union  with  Him,  and  bring- 
ing us  into  His  very  sonship,  and  the  fellowship  of  His 
inheritance.    "Because  ye  are  sons,  God  hath  sent  forth 


■!i  i 


138 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


.  I 


the  Spirit  of  His  Son  into  your  hearts,  crying,  Abba, 
Father. "    Gal.  4 :  6. 

This  sonship  is  the  peculiar  promise  of  the  New 
Testament,  the  peculiar  privilege  of  those  who  are 
united  to  the  person  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  This  is 
not  the  sonship  that  comes  by  virtue  of  our  creation; 
this  is  not  even  the  sonship  that  comes  by  virtue  of  our 
regeneration  and  God's  begetting  us  as  His  children, 
but  this  is  a  new  and  higher  sonship,  that  comes  by 
virtue  of  our  union  with  Jesus  Christ,  and  it  brings  us 
into  His  very  relationship  to  the  Father. 

He  is  the  only  begotten  Son,  the  First  Bom,  and  we 
also  are  first  born  ones,  and  called  **the  church  of  the 
first  born  ones  who  are  written  in  heaven.'*  It  is  in 
His  very  Sonship  and  with  His  very  heart  within  us, 
that  we  look  up  and  say,  "Abba  Father;"  it  is  a  double 
Fatherhood,  a  twofold  experience, — bom  of  His  very 
heart  and  then  wedded  to  His  Only  Begotten  Son.  Oh, 
what  manner  of  love  the  Father  hath  bestowed  upon 
us,  that  we  should  be  called  the  sons  of  God!  We  are 
the  sons  of  God,  and  *'we  know  that  when  He  shall  ap- 
pear we  shall  be  like  Him. ' '  We  are  no  longer  servants, 
but  sons  and  heirs  of  God,  through  Christ. 

Beloved,  have  we  received  power  thus  to  become  the 
sons  of  God  and  to  let  the  Holy  Ghost  work  in  us  our 
high  calling? 

VI. 


THE  HOLY  GHOST  AS   THE   SPIRIT   OF   SANCTIPICATION   AND 

VICTORY.      GAL.    5  :  16. 

"This  I  say  then,  walk  in  the  Spirit  and  ye  shall  not 
fulfill  the  lusts  of  the  flesh.  For  the  Spirit,"  that  is, 
the  Holy  Spirit,  "lusteth  against  the  flesh,  and  the  flesh 
against  the  Spirit,  and  these  are  contrary  the  one  to  the 
other :   so  that  ye  cannot  do  the  things  that  ye  would. ' ' 

A  single  letter  here  sheds  God's  own  perfect  light 
upon  the  exposition  of  this  verse,  and  that  is  the  capital 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  GALATIANS 


139 


the 
our 


not 
is, 
lesh 
ithe 
d." 
Ight 
ital 


"S"  with  which  we  spell  the  word  Spirit.  It  is  the 
Holy  Spirit  that  resists  the  flesh,  and  He  alone  can 
overcome  it  and  exclude  it,  and  as  we  "walk  in  the 
Spirit,  we  shall  not  fulfill  the  lusts  of  the  flesh." 

Here  is  God's  great  secret  of  holiness;  not  fighting 
sin,  but  being  filled  with  God.  It  is  the  old  principle 
of  the  expulsive  power  of  a  stronger  force  and  a  su- 
preme affection.  Just  as  water  excludes  air  from  that 
tumbler  when  it  is  filled  with  water;  just  as  light  ex- 
cludes the  darkness  when  the  room  is  lighted,  so  the 
indwelling  of  the  Holy  Ghost  excludes  the  presence  and 
power  of  sin. 

It  is  the  old  question  of  struggling  to  sanctify  our- 
selves, and  fighting  the  flesh  to  keep  it  down,  on  the  one 
hand,  or  rising  with  God  above  it  and  dwelling  in  that 
higher,  holier  element,  where  we  are  removed  from  its 
control.  It  is  the  question  whether  we  shall  try  to 
cleanse  the  swamp  of  its  filth  and  its  abominable  crea- 
tures, or  whether  we  shall  fly  above  it,  and  dwell  in  the 
pure  light  of  heaven  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  where  its 
miasmas  cannot  reach  us,  and  its  serpents  cannot  crawl. 

It  is  the  old  fable  of  the  cleansing  of  the  Augean 
stables  by  spades  and  carts  and  scavengers,  or  the  simple 
and  better  way  of  letting  the  current  of  the  mighty 
river  flow  through  that  stable  until  it  sweeps  all  its 
impurities  away  and  turns  its  banks  into  a  paradise  of 
loveliness.  In  a  word,  it  is  the  glorious  privilege  of 
being  sanctified,  not  by  works  but  by  free  grace,  not  by 
self-effort,  but  by  simple  faith  in  the  indwelling  presence 
and  power  of  God. 

VIT. 
THE  FRUIT  OP  THE  SPIRIT. 

This  naturally  fellows  from  the  previous  thought, 
and  it  is  exquisitely  brought  out  in  the  next  few  verses, 
where  we  have  the  works  of  the  flesh  in  their  manifold 
forms.    First,  the  acts  of  impurity ;  then,  the  sources  of 


it 

d 


pi 


It 


ii 


140 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


impurity;  then,  the  idolatry  to  which  impurity  leads; 
then,  malignity  and  hate  in  all  their  forms,  pouring  out 
toward  men  the  evil  that  had  already  separated  from 
God,  and  finally,  the  awful  excess  of  crime  and  sensu- 
ality into  which  it  brings  men. 

In  contrast  with  this  dreadful  picture  He  gives  us 
"the  fruit  of  the  Spirit,  which  is  love,  joy,  peace,  long- 
suffering,  gentleness,  goodness,  meekness,  temperance, 
faith. ' ' 

These  are  not  fruits,  but  fruit.  It  is  all  one  fruit. 
We  have  not  a  great  many  things  to  do  but  just  one, 
and  that  one  thing  is  to  love;  for  all  these  manifesta- 
tions of  the  fruit  are  but  various  forms  of  love.  Joy 
is  love  exulting;  peace  is  love  reposing;  long-suffering 
is  love  enduring;  gentleness  is  love  refined;  meekness 
is  love  with  bowed  head;  goodness  is  love  in  action; 
temperance  is  true  self-love,  and  faith  is  love  confiding, 
so  that  the  whole  sum  of  Christian  living  is  just  loving. 
And  we  do  not  even  have  to  love,  but  we  only  have 
to  be  filled  with  the  Spirit  and  then  the  love  will  flow 
as  a  fountain,  spontaneously,  from  the  life  within.  It  is 
all  free  grace;  it  is  all  the  fullness  of  an  inexhaustible 
stream,  the  artesian  well  that  pours  from  the  boundless 
depths,  and  flows  in  floods  of  blessings  on  every  side. 

Oh,  how  easy  is  this  life,  how  delightful,  how  true,  how 
glorious ! 

VIII. 

OUR  PART  IN  RECEIVING  THE  SPIRIT,  AND  CO-WORKINO  WITH 
HIS   WORKING.      GAL.    5  :  25. 

"If  we  live  in  the  Spirit,  let  us  also  walk  in  the 
Spirit."  Is  there  then  nothing  for  us  to  do  but  just 
lie  passive  in  His  hands  while  He  works  in  us?  Oh, 
yes;  there  is  much  for  us  to  do.  We  must  "walk  in  the 
Spirit;*'  we  must  co-operate  with  God;  we  must  keep 
step  with  our  blessed  Companion ;  we  must  follow  as  He 
leads  the  way. 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  GALATIANB 


141 


It  is  the  habit  of  constant  dependence  and  obedience ; 
and  as  we  thus  walk  with  Ilira,  lie  will  be  manifested  in 
us  and  will  fill  us  with  His  fullness  and  work  out  in  us 
the  fruition  of  His  life. 

There  are  thin^^s  to  do,  but  they  are  to  be  done  at 
His  leading  and  at  His  enabling.  There  are  attitudes 
to  be  maintained,  but  they  are  as  natural  as  the  step- 
pings  of  a  little  child  that  holds  its  mother's  hand,  and 
walks  by  her  side  through  the  great  city,  where  it  knows 
not  a  single  street  or  number.  It  is  not  our  walk  so 
much  as  our  Companion.  It  was  not  Enoch  so  much  as 
the  One  with  whom  Enoch  walked.  And  yet  Enoch  had 
to  keep  step  with  His  blessed  Friend  and,  as  we  thus 
abide  ia  Him  and  walk  in  Him  and  follow  Him,  we 
shall  know  all  the  fullness  of  His  love,  and  will  follow  on 
to  kno\v  the  Lord. 

IX. 

THE  ATTITUDE  OF  THE  SPIRIT  FILLED  MAN  TO  THE  WEAK 
AND   ERRING.      GAL.    6  :  1. 

"Brethren,  if  a  man  be  overtaken  in  a  fault,  ye  which 
are  spiritual,  restore  such  an  one  in  the  spirit  of  meek- 
ness, considering  thyself,  lest  thou  also  be  tempted." 

Is  this  life  in  the  Spirit  to  make  us  proud  and  self- 
sufftcient  in  our  attitude  to  others?  No,  it  will  make  us 
tender,  compassionate  and  full  of  sympathy  to  the 
ialtering  ones,  who  stumble  by  our  side.  It  is  the 
spiritual  man  that  is  to  restore  the  erring,  and  even  he, 
with  ail  his  experience,  is  to  consider  himself,  **lest  he 
also  be  tempted,"  and  to  know  that  he  is  just  as  weak 
and  frail  as  his  brother. 

It  was  when  Peter  had  reiterated  his  love  and  had 
been  accepted  anew  of  his  Lord  after  the  deep  and 
humbling  lesson,  that  he  received,  as  his  highest  trust, 
the  command  to  feed  the  feeble  sheep  and  the  helpless 
lambs.  So,  as  we  are  filled  with  the  Spirit,  it  will  be  the 
spirit  of  gentleness,  the  spirit  of  patience,  the  spirit  of 


!•!    ' 


f  i 


h-i 


El* 


142 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


compassion,  the  spirit  that  will  restore  the  erring,  and 
seek  and  save  the  lost. 


Finally,  the  Spirit,  in  relation  to  the  future;  sowing 
to  the  Spirit,  reaping  to  the  Spirit. 

What  is  the  bearing  of  all  this  present  life  on  the 
life  to  come?  It  is  very  real;  it  is  very  solemn;  it  is 
very  lasting.  "God  is  not  mocked:  for  whatsoever  a 
man  soweth  that  shall  he  also  reap.  He  that  soweth 
to  the  Spirit  shall  of  the  Spirit  reap  life  everlasting, 
and  he  that  soweth  to  the  flesh  shall  of  the  flesh  reap 
corruption." 

Oh,  how  the  days  are  telling!  "We  may  scatter  the 
thistle  down;  we  may  throw  our  precious  seed  in  the 
depths  of  sin,  but  there  shall  be  a  sad  reaping  bye  and 
bye;  or,  we  may  sow  seeds  of  patience  and  trust,  of 
holy  suffering,  and  unselfish  service,  and  bye-and-bye 
we  shall  reap  if  we  faint  not. 

Oh,  ye  that  trille  away  the  precious  hours  and  oppor- 
tunities of  these  days,  some  day  you  will  wake  to  find 
how  much  you  have  lost!  Some  day,  when,  with  a 
converted  soul  and  a  consecrated  life,  you  long  for 
holy  usefulness  and  oh,  how  you  will  mourn  that  you 
wasted  your  youth  and  lost  the  opportunities  that  would 
have  fitted  you  for  glorious  work  for  God  until  it  is 
too  late! 

0,  ye  who  seem  to  see  no  fruit  now,  go  on!  Sow  to 
the  Spirit  and  wait ;  *  *  Cast  your  seed  upon  the  waters, 
and  you  shall  find  it  after  many  days."  And  some 
day,  in  yonder  heaven,  you  will  know  what  this  promise 
means,  "I  have  called  thee,  that  thou  shouldest  plant 
the  heavens."  Some  day  as  you  see  the  avenues  of 
glory  planted  with  the  trees  of  righteousness  and  bloom- 
ing with  the  flowers  of  Paradise,  an  angel  voice  by  your 
side  may  tell  you  that  these  were  the  sowing  of  years  of 
faith  and  patience,  these  were  the  seeds  of  faith  and 


WIE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  GALATTANS 


143 


prayer,  of  sacrifice  and  obedience,  that  you  planted  long 
ago. 

Pray  on,  beloved.  You  are  planting  seed  in  heavenly 
soil,  and  some  day  your  rapturous  soul  shall  embrace  th^ 
answer.  Suffer  on,  patient  soldier  of  tlie  cross.  It  may 
not  be  given  to  you  to  serve ;  it  may  not  be  given  to  you 
to  preach  the  Gospel ;  it  may  not  be  given  to  you  to  do 
the  work  for  which  you  would  gladly  give  all  the  world ; 
yours  is  to  stand  bravely,  truly,  in  the  ordeal  of  pain, 
misconstruction,  irritation,  uncongenial  surroundings  in 
the  household,  in  the  business  office,  in  the  place  of  ter- 
rible temptation.  Be  true.  You  are  sowing  to  the 
Spirit,  and  some  day  you  will  reap  the  amaranthine  flow- 
ers and  fruits  of  glory. 

You  shall  have  your  crown.  Nothing  that  the  Spirit 
breathes  can  ever  die.  Nothing  that  the  Spirit  plants 
can  ever  perish.  Sow  on.  Weep  on.  Wait  on.  Hold 
on.  It  may  be  weeping  now,  it  will  be  rejoicing  bye- 
and-bye.  It  may  be  sowing  now,  but  it  will  be  reaping 
bye-and-bye. 


.ft 


f'i 


¥ 


CHAPTER  XV. 
ALL   THE    BLESSINGS  OP   THE   SPIRIT; 

OR,   THE   HOLY  GHOST   IN   EPHESIANR. 

''Blessed  bo  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who 
hath  blessed  us  with  all  the  blessings  of  the  Spirit  in  the  heaven- 
lies  in  Christ  Jesus. ' ' — Ephesians  1 :  3. 

THIS  is  the  text  of  the  whole  Epistlo  to  the  Ephe- 
sians. That  epistle  is  an  unfoldin«jr  of  ''all  the 
blessings  of  the  Spirit."  This  is  the  true  trans- 
lation of  the  passage. 

There  is  a  great  difference  between  the  blessings  of 
the  Spirit  and  spiritual  blessings.  This  is  a  case  where 
a  single  noun  is  worth  r  undred  adjectives.  The 
person  of  the  Holy  Ghost  ..orth  more  than  all  His 
gifts. 

The  blessings  unfolded  in  this  epistle  are  said  to 
be  "in  the  heavenlies";  that  is,  in  the  higher  realm 
and  element  where  we  dwell  in  Curist,  a"!>ove  the  nat- 
ural life,  and  in  fellowship  with  the  heavenly  world. 

The  apostle's  theme,  in  this  sublime  epistle,  is  the 
higher  blessings  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  which  He  makes 
known  to  those  who  enter  into  the  fulln(  ss  of  Christ, 
May  the  Holy  Spirit  Himself  enable  us  to  see  and 
enter  into  all  the  blessings  of  the  Spirit  I 

I. 

THE   SEALING   OF   THE    SPIRIT. 

**In  whom,  after  ye  believed,  ye  were  sealed  with 
that  Holy  Spirit  of  promise,  which  is  the  earnest  of 
our  inheritance  until  the  redemption  of  the  purchased 
possession."     Ephesians  1:13-14. 

We  have  already  spoken  in  a  former  chapter  of  the 
seal  and  earnest  of  the  Spirit,  and  it  is  not  necessary  to 

144 


ALL  THE  BLESSINGS  OF  THE  SPIRIT 


145 


eniarf?o  upon  them  here.  The  seal  is  the  mark  of 
owiicrHhip,  reality,  eertainty  and  resemblance,  the 
earnest  is  the  first  instalhiient  and  pledj;e  of  the  full 
inheritance.  The  Holy  Ghost,  when  lie  seals  ns,  makes 
real  and  sure  to  us  the  blessings  of  our  inheritance  and 
stamps  us  with  the  image  of  Christ ;  and,  as  the  earnest, 
He  gives  to  us  the  promise  and  the  pledge  of  all  the  full- 
ness of  our  future  heritage. 

This  promise  is  the  privilege  of  every  disciple,  and  it 
may  be  claimed  and  received,  by  simple  faith,  the  mo- 
ment we  believe.  It  is  recognized  not  as  the  crowning 
experience  of  Christian  life,  but  rather  as  its  beginning. 

Beloved,  have  we  been  thus  set  apart  and  stamped 
as  the  purchased  possession  of  God,  and  made  to  know 
in  our  inm  st  experience  the  hope  of  our  calling,  and  the 
foretaste  of  our  future  glory? 

n. 

THE  SPmiT  OF  rLLUMINATION". 

The  Holy  Ghost  next  opens  our  inner  eyes,  and  re- 
veals to  lis  the  vision  of  our  high  calling  and  our  full 
inheritance.  This  is  given  at  great  length  in  the  sub- 
lime passage,  Ephesians  1:15-23.  This  is  the  apostle's 
first  prayer  for  the  sealed  ones  of  whom  he  has  already 
spoken. 

He  asks  for  them,  that  the  Holy  Ghost  may  be  to 
them  the  '  *  Spirit  of  wisdom  and  revelation  in  the  knowl- 
edge of  Him.'*  This  is  a  special  divine  revelation  be- 
yond the  power  of  human  intellect  in  its  own  natural 
wisdom  and  strength.  It  is  not  only  that  new  truths  are 
unfolded  and  illuminated  but  new  spiritual  vision  is 
given  to  understand  and  realize  them.  The  eyes  of 
their  understanding  are  to  be  enlightened.  This  should 
rather  be  translated,  "the  eyes  of  your  heart."  It  is 
the  deeper  spiritual  nature  that  is  here  referred  to, 
the  very  core  of  our  being,  and  the  fountain  of  our 
thoughts  and  conceptions  of  divine  things. 

10 


i|( 


146 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


V,'. 

r' 


It  is  not  through  our  cold  intellect,  but  through  our 
spiritual  instincts,  that  we  arc  to  understand  the 
heavenly  vision.  There  are  things  that  "eye  hath  not 
seen,  nor  ear  heard,  neither  have  they  entered  into  the 
heart  of  man;  but  God  hath  revealed  them  unto  us  by 
His  Spirit."  There  are  humble  Christians  who  could 
not  spell  a  word  of  two  syllables  or  explain  a  single 
rule  of  grammar,  who  have  thoughts  and  conceptions  of 
God,  and  raptures  of  heavenly  joy,  for  which  an  angel 
would   gladl}'  leave  his  throne. 

The  object  of  this  vision  is:  first,  "that  ye  may  know 
what  is  the  hope  of  His  calling."  This  means  the 
gl(>rious  purpose  for  which  He  has  called  us,  as  an 
object  of  delightful  hope  and  expectation,  that  we  may 
know  our  high  destiny  and  be  thrilled  wath  the  joy  of 
its  anticipation. 

Next,  He  prays  that  we  may  know  "the  riches  of  the 
glory  of  His  inheritance  in  the  saints."  The  word 
**know"  in  all  these  clauses,  means,  in  the  original,  to 
knoiv  fully,  to  know  to  the  utmost.  The  "inheritance  in 
the  saints,"  means  that  glorious  work  of  grace  which 
Christ  is  fulfilling  in  the  hearts  of  His  people,  and 
which  is  yet  to  be  consummated  in  the  eternal  glory, 
when  we  shall  sit  with  Him  upon  His  throne,  and  share 
with  Him,  as  His  glorified  Bride,  His  eternal  kingdom. 
This  is  the  inheritance  for  which  He  Himself  gave  up 
His  prime"''al  throne,  and  for  which  we  count  all  things 
but  loss. 

The  apostle  prays  that  the  sealed  ones  may  catch  the 
vision  of  this  glorious  inheritance  in  its  present  and 
future  possibilities,  and  may  fully  know  all  the  riches 
of  its  glory.  This  will  take  the  glow  from  every  earthly 
picture  and  froin  every  v.orh^ly  prospect,  and  this  will 
make  sorrow  light  and  things  present  seem  like  empty 
bubbles  and  worthless  dreams.  Still  further,  he  prays 
that  they  may  fully  know  "what  is  tin  exceeding  great- 
ness" or  rather  the  surpassing  greatness  of  His  power,  or, 


aiaj  the  blessings  op  the  spirit 


147 


li  our 
I  the 
;h  not 
to  the 
us  by 

could 
siii<:?le 
ons  of 

angel 

■  know 
QS  the 
as  an 
^e  may 
joy  of 

of  the 

!   word 

nal,  to 

nee  in 

which 

e,   and 

Priory, 

share 

irdora. 

ve  up 

things 


Ich  the 

it  and 

riches 

Earthly 

lis  will 

I  empty 

prays 

great- 

^er,  or, 


I 


as  the  Greek  expresses  it,  "His  'dynamite,'  to  usward 
who  believe." 

It  is  not  merely  joy  and  glory  that  the  vision  unfolds, 
but  actual  and  practical  power.  There  is  nothing  we 
so  much  need  as  power.  We  are  ever  coming  into  con- 
flict with  forces  too  strong  for  our  human  weakness. 
"We  are  fighting  a  ceaseless  battle  and  \v  e  are  inadequate 
for  the  weakest  of  our  foes  and  the  smallest  of  our  dif- 
ficulties. We  are  ** without  strength,"  and  the  deepest 
need  of  our  heart  is  for  spiritual  power.  But  there  is 
for  us  all  the  power  we  need,  treasured  up  in  Him  who 
said,  ''AH  power  is  given  unto  Me  in  heaven  and  in 
earth."  The  word  here  used  for  power  has  received  a 
new  significance  through  the  progress  of  modern  science. 

The  terrific  force  expressed  by  "dynamite"  is  here 
represented  as  the  figure  of  the  spiritual  power  that  the 
Holy  Ghost  wants  to  sliow  us  and  impart  to  us,  if  we  can 
only  see  and  receive  the  surpassing  greatness  of  Ilis 
' '  dynamite ' '  to  usward  who  believe.  But  we  must  see  it, 
and  believe  it,  or  we  cannot  have  it. 

What  is  the  difference  between  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury, with  its  blaze  of  light  and  its  resources  of  mechan- 
ical power,  and  the  fifteenth  century  with  its  slow  and 
tedious  processes  of  toil?  What  is  the  difference  be- 
tween our  Empire  Express  sweeping  over  the  land  at 
sixty  miles  an  hour,  and  the  pco:  Indian  savage  on  liis 
snow  shoes,  travelling  in  a  month  the  distance  that  now 
we  can  cover  in  a  daj'  ?  There  was  just  as  much  power 
in  nature  then  as  now.  The  hidden  forces  of  electricity 
and  of  steam  were  all  in  existence  then,  as  much  as  to- 
day. Ah,  the  difference  was,  he  did  not  know  it,  and 
we  do.  And  so  there  are  stored  up  in  Christ  spiritual 
forces  surpassingly  greater  than  the  dynamite  or  the 
electric  engine ;  but  millions  of  Christians  go  stumbling, 
groaning,  and  defeated  through  life,  because  they  do 
not  know  the  riches  of  the  glory  of  their  inlieritance. 


«    I 


c, 
'1 


1 


148 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


1;;   . 


itif 


^^ 


What  right  have  we  to  be  weak  ?  What  business  have 
we  to  fail?  What  excuse  have  we  to  be  ignorant  with 
such  a  treasure  house  of  blessing  stored  up  at  the  throne 
of  grace,  and  at  the  call  of  faith  and  prayer? 

And  then  he  gives  us  an  object  lesson  of  all  this  in  the 
resurrection  and  ascension  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
This  is  not  a  mere  theory  but  an  accomplished  fact. 
AH  this  powcT*  has  been  actually  proved  and  tested,  and 
what  was  true  once  can  always  be  true  again.  What  was 
fulfilled  in  the  life  of  Jesus  can  be  fulfilled  in  each  of  us. 
And  so  he  prays  that  our  vision  may  be  quickened  and 
enlarged,  so  that  we  can  see  the  working  of  his  mighty 
power,  as  it  was  wrought  ^'in  Christ  when  he  raised 
him  from  the  dead,  and  set  him  at  his  own  right  hand 
in  the  heavenly  places,  far  above  all  principality,  and 
power,  and  might,  and  dominion,  and  every  name  that 
is  named,  not  only  in  this  world,  but  also  in  that  which 
is  to  come :  and  hath  put  all  things  under  his  feet,  and 
gave  him  the  head  over  all  things  to  the  Church,  which 
is  his  body,  the  fullness  of  him  that  filleth  all  in  all." 

All  his  surpassing  power  has  been  already  exemplified 
in  the  resurrection  of  Christ.  It  burst  for  Him  the 
fetters  of  the  tomb,  rent  asunder  the  sepulchre,  shattered 
the  Roman  seal  upon  the  stone,  scattered  he  terrified 
soldiers  that  guarded  the  tomb,  and  brought  forth  the 
risen  Lord  in  all  the  glory  of  His  immortal  life.  Not 
only  so,  it  raised  Him  far  above  the  empty  tomb,  far 
above  the  earth  itself,  up  through  the  air,  and  the  fields 
of  space,  past  the  planets  and  the  constellations,  yonder 
to  the  Central  Throne,  where  He  sat  down  in  the  place 
of  honor  and  power,  at  the  right  hand  of  the  eternal 
God. 

It  exalted  Him  far  above  all  government  and  power 
and  might  and  law  and  every  name  that  is  named,  both 
in  the  present  age  and  in  all  the  ages  to  come.  Think 
of  all  the  names  you  know ;  think  of  all  the  powers  you 


I 


ALL  THE  BLESSINGS  OF  THE  SPIRIT 


149 


fear;   think  of  all  the  foes  you  dread,  He  is  far  above 
them  all. 

And  He  is  there  not  for  Himself  but  for  j^ou.  He  is 
Head  over  all  things  for  His  body,  the  Church.  His 
very  business  there  is  to  use  His  power  for  us.  His 
eternal  occupation  is  to  represent  us.  He  is  as  much  in 
need  of  us  as  we  are  of  Him.  He  is  but  a  head  without 
us;  for  we  are  His  body;  we  are  th'  complement  of  His 
life ;  we  are  the  other  half  of  His  ;  ing,  and  when  He 
helps  us  He  helps  Himself;  when  t.i  blesses  us  He  is 
more  truly  blessed.  Therefore  we  may  confidently  claim 
the  boundless  fullness  of  His  blessing  and  know  that 
all  that  is  true  of  Him  may  be  just  as  true  of  us,  for 
**as  He  is,  so  also  are  we  in  this  world." 

To  see  this  vision  is  to  be  omnipotent.  May  the  Holy 
Ghost  anoint  our  eyes  and  show  us  His  gloiy ! 


•:   1 


(, 

If 

J' 


?  > 


►lifted 
the 
;tered 
[rifled 
[\  the 
Not 
far 
Ifields 
)nder 
Iplace 
lernal 

)ower 
both 

^hink 
you 


m. 

THE  SPmr      IF  ACCESS  AND  COMMUNION. 

Having  seen  the  giory  of  our  ascended  I.ord,  we  are 
next  admitted  by  the  Hoij  Sinrit,  in  ;iccess  and  com- 
munion, into  His  presence.  "  1  or  through  Him  we  both 
have  access  by  one  Spirit  unto  the  Father.  '  The  door 
is  open  now,  and  we  can  go  in  and  our  with  the  freedom 
of  children,  gazing  upon  His  glorj^  and  drawing  from 
His  fullness,  strength  for  weakness,  and  grace  for  grace. 

This  is  by  the  Spirit.  It  is  He  who  -ives  to  us  the 
sense  of  need,  the  spirit  of  prayer,  lO  confidence  to 
come,  the  witness  of  acceptance,  and  the  blessed  fellow- 
ship of  constant  communion.  We  are  to  **pray  in  the 
Holy  Ghost,"  and  as  we  follow  His  suggestions,  and 
breathe  out  His  groanings,  and  aspirations,  our  God 
given  prayers  will  reach  the  throne  and  come  back  to  us 
in  blessing. 


150 


POWER  FEOM  ON  HIGH 


IV. 


■ 


THE    INDWELLING   SPIRIT. 

But  now  we  have  a  far  grander  vision.  We  have  seen 
the  glory  yonder,  within  the  heavenly  gates,  and  amid 
the  splendors  of  the  throne.  We  have  had  permission  to 
enter  through  the  open  doors  of  prayer,  ana  gaze  upon 
it,  and  draw  from  its  stores  of  grace.  But  now  the 
Holy  Ghost  brings  it  all  down  to  us,  and  puts  it  into  our 
very  heart  and  being. 

The  heaven  above  becomes  the  heaven  within;  the 
Saviour  enthroned  at  God's  right  hand  becomes  the 
enthroned  Lord  of  our  heart  and  being,  and  God  Him- 
self removes  His  tabernacle  from  heaven  to  earth,  and 
dwells  in  very  deed  with  men,  and  in  the  temple  of  the 
believing  heart.  This  is  the  next  stage  of  the  Spirit's 
working  in  this  sublime  epistle.  It  is  twofold;  first, 
in  the  whole  Church  as  the  body  of  Christ,  Ephesians 
2:21,  22.  "The  whole  building  fitly  framed  together 
groweth  unto  a  holy  temple  in  the  Lord;  in  whom  ye 
also  are  builded  together  for  an  habitation  of  God 
through  the  Spirit." 

Then  also  it  is  fulfilled  in  the  heart  of  each  individual 
Christian,  Ephesians  3:16-19.  ''That  He  would  grant 
you,  according  to  the  riches  of  His  glory,  to  be  strength- 
ened with  might  by  His  Spirit  in  the  inner  man;  that 
Christ  may  dwell  in  your  hearts  by  faith;  that  ye, 
being  rooted  and  grounded  in  love,  may  be  able  to  com- 
prehend with  all  saints  what  is  the  breadth,  and  length, 
and  depth,  and  height;  and  to  know  the  love  of  Christ 
which  passeth  knowledge,  that  ye  might  be  filled  with 
all  the  fullness  of  God." 

The  essence  and  substance  of  this  prayer  is,  that 
we  may  be  filled  with  all  the  fullness  of  God,  and  that 
Christ  may  dwell  in  onr  hearts  by  faith,  so  fully  that  we 
shall  ''know  the  breadth,  and  length,  and  depth,  and 
height"  of  His  measureless  love. 


ALL  THE  BLESSINGS  OF  THE  SPIRIT 


151 


that 
that 
iat  we 
and 


i 


Now  for  this  the  Holy  Ghost  has  to  strengthen  us  and 
prepare  us.  In  our  ordinary  condition,  we  could  not 
stand  the  glory  and  power  of  such  a  blessing.  It  would 
be  like  putting  a  charge  of  powder  that  would  fill  a  can- 
non into  a  pocket  pistol,  and  the  only  effect  would  be  the 
explosion  and  destruction  of  the  pistol.  If  God  were 
to  give  us  all  the  power  for  which  we  sometimes  ask 
Him,  it  would  destroy  us.  We  should  be  so  lifted  up 
with  self-consciousness  and  self-importance  that  we 
should  be  ruined,  or  else  we  should  be  crushed  by  the 
weight  of  glory.  Therefore,  He  prays,  first,  that  we  may 
be  strengthened  with  might  by  the  Spirit  in  the  inner 
man,  so  that  Christ  may  dwell  in  the  heart  by  faith. 

Just  as  the  maker  of  that  cannon  strengthens  it  at 
the  breech,  doubling  the  thickness  and  strength  of  the 
metal  where  the  pressure  is  heaviest,  and  gradually 
tapering  it  to  the  muzzle,  that  the  resistant  power  shall 
be  equalized  to  the  strain,  so  the  Holy  Ghost  prepares 
us  to  be  the  vessels  of  His  grace  and  power.  Perhaps 
the  maker  of  that  cannon  experimented  for  many  years 
before  he  got  the  quality  of  the  metal  and  the  strength 
of  the  barrel  perfectly  adjusted  to  his  purpose.  Per- 
haps he  often  broke  it  up  and  recast  it,  before  he  dared 
to  put  the  stamp  of  his  establishment  upon  it,  and  trust 
it  in  the  battleship  of  his  country.  And  so  the  Holy 
Ghost  has  to  work  long  and  patiently  with  us,  and  often 
to  break  us,  over  and  over  again,  before  we  can  be  fully 
trusted  with  His  highest  commissions,  and  stand  the 
exceeding  weight  of  glory  which  He  wishes  to  put  within 
us,  and  upon  us.  Let  us  not  be  afraid  of  His  mighty 
love,  nor  shrink  from  the  pressure  of  His  wise  and 
mighty,  moulding  hand. 

In  the  vision  of  Daniel  the  empires  of  the  world  were 
represented  under  the  magnificent  image  of  a  figure  with 
a  head  of  gold,  shoulders  and  arms  of  silver,  trunk  of 
brass,  and  legs  of  iron.  It  was  a  very  splendid-looking 
form  of  grandeur  and  power,  but  the  end  of  it  was  that 


c: 
l 


\\' 


152 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


•  :   f 


^\t 


\    i^ 


1 1 


it  was  broken  to  pieces,  and  scattered  like  the  chaff  of 
the  summer  threshing  floor.  The  secret  all  lay  in  this, 
that  as  tlie  image  descended  toward  its  feet,  the  strength 
of  the  iron  was  mixed  with  miry  clay,  and  the  feet,  on 
which  its  grand  form  rested,  were  no  better  than  clods 
of  mud. 

Many  a  grand  looking  life  has  no  better  support  than 
this,  and  all  the  work  that  rests  on  mixed  nmterials  must 
go  to  pieces  in  the  hour  of  strain.  God  is  taking  the 
clay  out  of  us.  He  wants  men  and  women  made  of  un- 
mixed steel,  that  will  stand  the  pressure  of  the  power 
that  He  means  to  give  them,  and  the  glory  with  which 
He  is  yet  to  clothe  them. 

The  truth  is,  God  blesses  every  one  of  us  as  much  as 
He  can  and  fills  us  as  full  as  we  can  hold.  The  trouble 
is,  some  of  us  cannot  liold  much.  As  we  yield  ourselves 
to  His  gracious  working,  He  will  fill  us  more  and  more 
with  all  the  fullness  of  God.  Christ  shall  be  to  us  an 
indwelling  presence,  and  we  shall  **  comprehend  with 
all  saints  what  is  the  breadth,  and  length,  and  depth, 
and  heighth,  and  to  know  the  love  of  Christ  which 
passeth  knowledge."  For  He  ''is  able  to  do  exceeding 
abundantly  above  all  that  we  ask  or  think, ' '  and  the  only 
limit  is,  "according  to  the  power  that  worketh  in  us." 

Dr.  Boardman  tells  of  a  lady  in  London,  to  whom  this 
passage  came  with  such  convicting  power  that  she  felt 
she  could  not  rest  until  God  had  made  it  real  to  her. 
She  knew  that  she  had  never  received  exceeding  abun- 
dantly above  all  that  she  asked  or  thought,  and  she  just 
went  to  her  Father,  and  asked  Him  to  make  His  ward 
true  to  her,  and  told  Him  that  she  would  never  cease 
until  this  verse  had  become  her  actual  experience. 

She  waited  upon  God  for  many  weeks,  and  when  she 
came  back  shi;  told  her  pastor  that  her  prayer  was 
answered,  and  God  had  revealed  Himself  to  her  in  a 
manner  far  exceeding  her  highest  thought.  But  she 
said  that  He  had  shown  her  that  there  was  so  much  more 


ALL  THE  BLESSINGS  OF  THE  SPIRIT 


153 


only 

us." 

this 

felt 

her. 

ibun- 

just 

kvo-rd 

jease 

she 
was 
|in  a 
she 
lore 


yet  for  her  to  receive,  that  He  had  raised  her  thought 
as  far  above  her  blessing,  as  her  blessing  had  been  above 
her  former  thought.  And  so  He  was  leading  her  on  from 
glory  to  glory,  and  as  each  new  capacity  was  filled  it 
was  enlarged  and  filled  again. 

This  is  indeed  true;  and  so  we  may  all  have  exceed- 
ing abundantly  and  be  kept  forever  in  that  strange 
paradox  of  the  spiritual  life,  ever  satisfied  and  yet  ever 
hungering  and  thirsting  for  more. 

V. 

THE  LIVING  OUT  OF  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  OUR  DAILY 

EXPERIENCE. 

All  this  beautiful  inward  experience  would  be  but  a 
holy  mysticism  if  it  did  not  have  a  direct  practical 
bearing  on  our  common  life.  And  so  we  have  in  Ephe- 
sians  5 : 9,  10,  17,  18,  the  practical  bearing  of  all  this 
upon  our  every-day  life.  "For  the  fruit  of  the  Spirit 
is  in  all  goodness  and  righteousness  and  truth ;  proving 
what  is  acceptable  unto  the  Lord.  Wherefore,  be  ye  not 
unwise,  but  understanding  what  the  will  of  the  Lord  is. 
And  be  not  drunk  with  wine,  wherein  is  excess,  but  be 
filled  with  the  Spirit."  This  is  to  be  the  habit  of  our 
daily  life,  and  as  we  are  thus  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost, 
our  lives  will  be  filled  with  goodness,  righteousness,  and 
reality. 

We  will  not  be  shams  and  professions,  but  blessed 
expressions  of  the  divine  life  within,  and  our  whole 
being,  inspired  with  a  divine  exhilaration,  shall  over- 
flow in  gladness,  goodness,  sweetness,  unselfishness,  and 
blessing,  to  all  with  whom  we  come  in  contact. 

VL 

aHE  OVERCOMING  LIFE  THROUGH  THE  HOLY  GHOST. 

The  last  picture  in  the  epistle  carries  us  forward  to 
the  closing  and  crowning  experiences  of  the  Christian 
life.    It  is  a  scene  of  conflict  and  fierce  temptation.    We 


154 


P^WER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


<  t 


•'1 


<(. 


(«f 


i 


I'  •:: 

3  •   !• 


'•t 


III   !■•■ 

CM'      1 .. 


[l    ! 


pi    r 


:r>  r 


are  ''wrestling  with  principalities  and  powers,  the  rul- 
ers of  the  darkness  of  this  world,  with  spiritual  wicked- 
ness in  the  heavenlies."  These  throng  the  thickest  at 
the  very  gates  of  heaven.  Think  it  not  strange  that  wo 
should  find  such  beings  and  such  conflicts  in  the  heavenly 
places.  That  is  just  where  they  love  to  concentrate  their 
forces,  and  turn  us  back  at  the  very  portals  of  glory. 
Let  us  not  be  ''terrified  by  our  adversaries,  which  is  to 
them  an  evident  token  of  perdition,  but  to  us  of  sal- 
vation, and  that  of  God."  We  have  seen  these  princi- 
palities before  in  this  epistle.  They  are  the  powers  of 
which  we  were  told  in  the  first  chapter,  that  Christ  was 
''far  above  them."  They  are  conquered  foes,  and  in 
Him  we  are  already  "more  than  conquerors." 

But  how  shall  we  meet  these  terrific  forces?  Thank 
God  for  the  Holy  Ghost  again.  "When  the  enemy  shall 
come  in  like  a  flood,  then  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  shall 
lift  up  a  standard  against  him." 

First,  we  have  the  sword  of  the  Spirit,  Ephesians  6 :  17. 
"iVnd  take  the  helmet  of  salvation,  and  the  sword  of 
the  Spirit,  which  is  the  Word  of  God."  This  was 
Christ's  weapon  in  the  conflict  when  He  met  the  ad- 
versary in  the  wilderness,  with  the  repeated  word,  "It 
is  written."  And  when  the  devil,  surprised  at  the 
power  of  this  heavenly  sword,  picked  it  up  and  began  to 
use  it  himself  by  quoting  Scripture,  Christ  took  the 
other  edge  of  it,  and  struck  him  back  the  last  fatal  blow 
by  His  answer,  so  sublimely  wise,  ' '  It  is  written  again.  ' ' 

The  Holy  Ghost  has  given  us  this  Word,  and  He  is 
not  likely  to  ignore  it  in  His  own  manifestations  to  our 
hearts.  Indeed,  it  is  His  purpose  that  we  shall  live  out 
every  particle  before  we  pass  from  this  earthly  stage  to 
the  life  beyond.  It  is  He,  and  He  alone,  that  can  make 
it  the  sword  in  our  victorious  hands,  suggesting  to  us 
the  promise  or  the  reproof  or  the  command  which  we 
need  for  each  new  situation,  and  then  arming  it  with 
the  fiery  point  and  piercing  edge,  that  will  cut  through 


AliL  THE  BLESSINGS  OF  THE  SPIRIT 


155 


all  the  devil's  disguises  and  make  us  always  to  triumph 
in  the  battle  of  life. 

Then  we  have  the  prayer  of  the  Spirit  in  the  eighteenth 
verse.  "Praying  always  with  all  prayer  and  supplica- 
tion in  the  Spirit,  and  watching  thereunto  with  all 
perseverance  and  supplication  for  all  saints."  This  is 
our  next  victorious  weapon;  and  the  most  remarkable 
thing  about  it  is,  that  the  principal  part  of  the  prayer 
is  not  for  ourselves  at  all,  but  for  others.  It  is  when, 
like  wise  generals,  we  turn  the  position  of  our  foe  and 
attach  him  directlj',  by  praying  for  other«,  that  we 
compel  him  to  retreat  and  let  us  alone;  and,  as  we  be- 
come occupied  with  the  high  and  holy  thoughts  of  un- 
selfish love  and  prayer,  we  forget  the  ^roubles  that  were 
crushing  us  and  the  temptations  that  were  pressing  us 
and  we  are  lifted  clear  above  the  f/attlefield,  into  those 
heavenly  places  where  the  serpert's  fangs  cannot  reach 
us,  and  the  devil's  fiery  darts  jannot  come. 

VIT. 
WHAT  SHOULD  BE  OUR  ATTITJDE  TO  THIS  HEAVENLY  FRIEND  ? 

We  have  it  beautifully  expressed  in  Ephesians  4 :  30. 
"Grieve  not  the  Hoi;  Spirit  of  God,  whereby  ye  are 
scaled  unto  the  day  jf  redemption."  It  is  not  said  that 
we  make  Him  angry,  or  drive  Him  away ;  but  we  grieve 
Him,  disappoint  Him,  and  cause  Him  pain. 

He  has  set  His  heart  upon  accomplishing  in  us,  and 
for  us,  the  highest  possibilities  of  love  and  blessing; 
when  we  wi!i  not  yield  to  His  wise  and  holy  will ;  when 
we  will  not  let  Him  educate  us,  mould  us,  separate  us 
from  tbc5  things  that  weaken  and  destroy  us,  and  fit  us 
for  tho  weight  of  glory  that  He  is  preparing  for  us,  His 
heart  is  vexed,  His  love  is  wounded.  His  purpose  is 
baffled;  and  if  the  Comforter  could  weep,  we  would 
see  the  tears  of  loving  sorrow  upon  His  gentle  face. 

Just  as  a  mother  fondly  longs  for  the  highest  educa- 


^it  i 


156 


POWER  FRO^I  ON  HIGH 


5t 

IT' 


.-I 


tion  and  success  of  her  child,  and  feels  repaid  for  all 
her  sacrifices  and  toils  when  she  beholds  her  noble  boy 
in  the  hour  of  his  triumph;  just  as  a  lovinj^  teacher 
spends  years  in  the  training  of  his  pupil,  and  win,;,  at 
last,  some  day,  that  successful  student  is  rewarded  with 
the  highest  prizes  and  the  acclamations  of  the  university, 
he  takes  his  favorite  in  his  arms  with  a  joy  far  greater 
than  as  if  the  triumph  were  his  own,  so  our  blessed 
Mother  God  is  jealously  seeking  to  work  out  in  our  lives 
the  grandest  possibilities  of  immortal  existence;  and, 
some  day,  when  that  blessed  Spirit  shall  take  us  by  the 
hand  and  present  us  to  Jesus  as  His  glorious  Bride, 
"without  spot  or  wrinkle  or  any  such  thing,"  the  joy 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  will  be  greater  than  our  own. 

Oh,  let  us  not  disappoint  Him!  Let  us  not  grieve 
Him.  Let  us  not  hold  back  from  Him.  Let  us  not  sin 
against  His  forgiving,  long-suffering  love.  "Grieve  not 
the  Holy  Spirit  of  God,  whereby  ye  are  sealed  unto  the 
day  of  redemption.' 


>> 


I 


'  I  ■.  r 


11 


CHAPTER  XVI. 
THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  PHILIPPIANS. 


"For  I  know  that  this  shall  turn  to  my  salvation  through 
your  prayer,  and  the  supply  of  the  Spirit  of  Jesus  Christ." — 
Phil.  1 :  19. 

* '  If  there  be  therefore  any  consolation  in  Christ,  if  any  comfort 
of  love,  if  any  fellowship  of  the  Spirit,  if  any  bowels  and  mercies, 
fulfill  ye  my  joy,  that  ye  be  like-minded,  having  the  same  love, 
being  of  one  accord,  of  one  mind." — Phil.  2:  1-2. 

THE  Epistle  to  the  Philippians  is  the  sweetest  of  the 
Pauline  letters.  It  is  the  unfolding  of  his  inmost 
heart  and  of  his  tenderest  relations,  to  the  most 
fondly-loved  of  his  spiritual  flocks.  No  other  church 
was  quite  so  dear  to  him  as  the  little  band  at  Philippi, 
who  were  the  first  seal  of  the  beginning  of  his  mission- 
ary'' work  on  the  continent  of  Europe.  He  could  say  to 
them  trn  '*I  have  you  in  my  heart.  Ye  are  all  par- 
takers oi  my  grace.  I  thank  God  for  your  fellowship  in 
the  gospel,  from  the  first  day  until  now. ' ' 

But  it  is  not  only  the  expression  of  a  hallowed  human 
love;  it  is  also  the  embodiment  of  all  that  is  most  mel- 
low, mature  and  delicate,  in  the  Christian  spirit  and 
temper.  It  is  the  ripeness  of  the  mellow  fruit,  just 
ready  to  fall  from  the  branch;  it  is  the  bloom  on  the 
peach,  delicate  as  the  rainbow  tint,  and  soft  as  the  wing 
of  an  angel.  There  is  something  about  its  tone  that  can 
be  understood  only  by  the  finer  senses  of  the  deepest  and 
highest  Christian  experience. 

While  the  great  Epistle  to  the  Ephosians  is  like  the 
tabernacle  building,  with  its  deeper  and  deeper  unfold- 
ings  of  truth  and  life,  the  Epistle  to  the  Philippians  is 
like  the  sweet  incense  on  the  golden  altar  and  in  the 
holy  place. 

There  are  only  two  references  to  the  Holy  Sprit  in 

157 


'  HI 


'.if^ntxojtf-tmtMtmMni^ 


158 


POWER  FROM  ON  TirOII 


this  epistle,  but  these  two  are  in  perfeet  keeping  with 
the  structure  and  spirit  of  tlie  whole  epistle. 


I. 


THE  SUPPLY  OF  THE  SPIRIT. 


t 

I 


I    1-' 
.',    I' 


The  word  for  "supply"  employed  here  is  a  very 
unusual  one,  and  has  a  special  and  strongly  figurative 
significance.  It  is  the  Greek  word,  Epichoregos,  and  it 
refers  to  the  Epichoregos,  or  chorus  leader  in  ancient 
Greece.  On  a  great  festival  occasion  it  was  customary 
for  a  certain  man,  as  an  act  of  public  generosity  and 
also  a  distinguished  honor  to  himself,  to  provide  for  the 
public  entertainment  of  the  people  by  an  elaborate 
musical  exercise,  consisting  of  a  great  many  pieces,  a 
great  variety  of  music,  musical  instruments  and  per- 
formers; it  was  his  business  to  .supply  all  that  was  nec- 
essary for  this  performance,  to  meet  all  the  expenses  of 
the  occasion,  to  secure  all  the  performers,  instruments, 
assistants,  etc.,  and  see  that  ever^'thing  was  supplied 
and  also  to  lead  the  chorus.  From  this  old  word,  our 
expressions  chorus,  and  clioruSrchoir  are  derived.  Now 
this  word  conveys  the  idea  of  supplying,  but  also  of 
supplying  especially  the  parts  in  a  musical  chorus ;  and 
it  carries  along  with  it  the  idea  of  something  harmo- 
nious and  glorious.  It  is  a  very  abundant  supply  and  it 
brings  a  very  triumphant  result. 

This  word  is  used  in  a  remarkable  passage  in  the  first 
chapter  of  2  Peter,  ' '  Add  to  your  faith  courage,  knowl- 
edge, temperance,  godliness,  brotherly  kindness,  char- 
ity." This  word  **add,"  is  the  same  Greek  term, 
Epichorego.  It  means,  "chorus  into  your  faith  and  life 
these  beautiful  graces";  bring  them  all  into  tune,  and 
Work  them  out  in  harmony  and  praise,  so  that  your  life 
shall  be  a  doxology  of  joy  and  thanksgiving.  And  then, 
at  the  close  of  that  paragraph,  the  word  reappears,  "For 
so  shall  an  enti.   ice  be  ministered  unto  you  abundantly 


THE   HOLY  SPIRIT   IN  PITTLIPPIANS 


159 


a 


life 
and 
life 
;hen, 
'For 
ntly 


into  the  evcrlastinpf  kinpfdom  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour 
Jesus  (Mirisl. "  Literally  it  inifjht  be  translateti,  "So  an 
entrance  shall  be  eiioruscd  inito  you."  That  is,  tiio 
very  j^raees  that  were  vvrouj^^ht  into  your  eartidy  life 
and  attended  you  as  a  heavenly  choir  shall  wait  for  you 
at  the  yates  of  heaven  and  sing  you  home  to  your  coro- 
nation. The  love  and  gentleness,  the  faith  and  patience 
that  you  exercised  in  your  earthly  pilgrimage  shall  be 
waiting  yonder,  as  a  train  of  musicians,  and  shall  cele- 
brate your  victory  and  your  recompense. 

Now  this  is  the  word  used  in  the  passage  in  Philip- 
pians,  "the  supply  of  the  Spirit  of  Christ  Jesus."  The 
Holy  Ghost  is  the  choir  leader,  and  He  is  bringing  into 
the  apostle's  life  all  the  supplies  of  grace  he  needs  to 
make  his  life  not  only  tolerable  but  triumphant,  and 
turn  everything  into  a  chorus  of  praise. 

The  apostle  had  just  been  telling  us  before  of  the 
peculiar  trials  through  which  he  was  passing  and  the 
subtle  foes  that  were  distressing  and  harassing  him, 
by  even  preaching  the  very  Gospel  that  he  loved  so  well, 
for  contention  and  strife,  "Supposing,"  he  says,  "to 
add  affliction  to  my  bonds."  Yet  so  abundant  was  the 
supply  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  as  the  Choir  Leader  of  his 
victorious  life,  that  he  rose  above  their  jealous  hate, 
turned  the  very  trial  into  a  triumph  and  was  enabled  to 
bring  blessing  out  of  the  devil's  blows  and  to  exclaim 
in  a  chorus  of  praise,  "What  then,  notwithstanding 
every  way,  whether  in  pretense,  or  in  truth,  Christ  is 
preached ;  and  I  therein  do  rejoice,  yea,  and  will  rejoice ; 
for  I  know  that  this  shall  turn  to  my  salvation,"  that 
is,  my  complete  and  full  salvation,  "through  your 
prayer  and  1  he  supply  of  the  Spirit  of  Jesus  Christ. ' ' 

And  so  for  us,  beloved,  the  Holy  Ghost  is  able  to 
provide  so  fully,  that 

"Ills  of  every  shape  and  every  name. 

Transformed  to  blessings,  miss  their  cruel  aim." 


!  I 
■'  » 

I 


160 


POWER  FEOM  ON  HIGH 


*  :<: 


This  was  to  turn  to  bis  salvation.  He  does  not,  of 
course,  mean  his  literal  deliveranc?  from  condemnation, 
but  that  deeper,  fuller  life  in  Christ  which  is  all  com- 
prehended in  complete  salvation.    It  is  one  thing  to  be 

*  *  saved  as  by  fire " ;  it  is  quite  another  thing  to  be  saved 
to  the  uttermost. 

Now  the  apostle  says  that  this  is  to  come  to  him 

*  *  through  their  prayer. ' '  We  can  help  each  other  to  the 
deeper  and  fuller  supply  of  the  Spirit  of  Christ  Jesus. 
If  our  heart  is  open  to  receive  the  blessing,  the  prayers 
of  others  reach  us  and  add  to  the  measure  of  our  full- 
ness. 

Every  breath  of  true  prayer  accomplishes  something 
and  makes  some  addition  to  the  measure  of  blessing 
that  we  ask  for  ourselves  and  others.  There  is  no  greater 
service  tliat  you  can  render  to  a  true  child  of  God  than 
iu  pray  for  him  in  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  in  that  deep 
divine  love  that  brings  you  into  a  common  touch  with 
his  life  and  needs.  Especially  is  this  true  of  those  who 
stand  in  public  places  to  represent  Christ  to  others,  and 
who  must  receive,  first,  the  stores  of  blessing  which  they 
are  called  to  impart.  Let  us  pray  for  them  and  we  may 
be  verj"  sure  the  blessing  will  come  back  to  us.  To  keep 
up  the  figure  of  the  text  and  the  imagery  of  the  chorus, 
our  prayers  are  just  the  breath  which  fills  the  mighty 
organ  and  swells  the  strain  that  bursts  from  every  pipe 
and  every  note. 

n. 

THE  COMMUNION  OF  THE  SPIRIT.     PHIL.  2  :  1,  2. 

This  pass«ige  is  a  very  exquisite  one.  It  touches  the 
most  delicate  shades  of  Christian  feeling.  It  speaks  of 
** consolation  in  Christ,"  the  tenderness  of  His  comfort- 
ing love.  It  speaks  of  the  *  *  comfort  of  love, ' '  the  sweet 
and  healing  balm  of  sympathy  and  holy  affection.  It 
speaks  of  the  ** fellowship  of  the  Spirit,"  the  commun- 
ion of  the  saint  with  God,  and  with  his  brethren  in  the 


THE   HOLY   SPIRIT    IN  PHILIPPIANS 


161 


Holy  Ghost.  It  speaks  of  ''bowels  of  mercies,"  the 
finer  chords  of  spiritual  sensitiveness,  whicli  thrill  re- 
sponsive to  every  touch  of  pain  or  joy  in  each  other's 
hearts.  There  is  something  about  it  so  refined  and  ex- 
quisite that  the  rude,  coarse  mind  cannot  grasp  it,  and  it 
is  literally  true,  ' '  that  none  but  he  that  feels  it  knows. '  * 

It  is  especially  of  this  third  phrase  that  we  are  to 
speak — "If  there  be  any  fellowship  of  the  Spirit."  The 
Greek  word  is  Koinonia,  which  might  be  literally  trans- 
lated, in  common.  It  really  means  to  have  things  in 
common. 

1.  It  is  used  first  of  our  fellowship  with  God.  "Truly, 
our  fellowship  is  with  the  Father,  and  with  His  Son, 
Jesus  Christ."    "The  communion  of  the  Holy  Ghost." 

Our  communion  with  God  is  the  basis  of  all  other 
communion.  And  communion  with  God  is  not  merely 
external  worship  and  articulate  pruyer  but  it  is  really 
oneness  with  God,  and  having  everything  in  common 
"with  Him."  Just  as  oil  and  water  cannot  mix,  just 
as  iron  and  clay  cannot  blend,  so  there  can  be  no  com- 
munion between  God  and  the  sinful  soul.  We  must  be 
reconciled  to  Him;  we  must  be  at  one  with  Him;  we 
must  be  conformed  to  His  image  and  partakers  of  His 
very  nature  and  filled  with  His  Holy  Spirit. 

There  must  be  in  us  the  organ  of  intercourse.  It  is 
not  enough  to  have  a  telegraph  wire  reaching  your  of- 
fice from  the  distant  city,  but  you  must  also  have  a 
battery  here  in  order  to  receive  the  message  of  the  wire. 
And  so  we  must  have  with  us  the  spiritual  organs  of 
communion  with  God,  in  order  to  enter  into  His  fel- 
lowship. 

We  may  have  such  fellowship.  The  Holy  Ghost  is  the 
channel  and  organ  of  this  communion.  He  is  at  once 
the  electric  current  that  conveys  and  the  battery  that 
interprets  the  message  both  ways.  "Through  Him  we 
have  access  unto  the  Father."  We  can  pour  out  our 
heart  into  His  and  He  can  pour  in  His  heart  into  ours 

XI 


*> 

•ii 


V 


162 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


-   I 


We  can  ask  Him  for  the  things  we  need  and  get  them. 
But  more  than  all  the  things  we  get,  is  the  answer  of 
His  own  heart  to  ours.  And  more  than  all  the  words 
which  He  speaks  to  us,  or  we  speak  to  Him,  is  the  deep 
and  silent  communion  of  the  heart  that  is  in  accord  with 
His  holy  will,  and  living  in  the  consciousness  of  His 
delightful  presence. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  be  always  speaking  to  God,  or 
always  hearing  from  God,  to  have  communion  with 
Him;  there  is  an  inarticulate  fellowship  more  sweet 
than  words.  The  little  child  can  sit  all  day  long  beside 
its  busy  mother  and,  although  few  words  are  spoken  on 
either  side,  and  both  are  busy,  the  one  at  his  absorbing 
play,  the  other  at  her  engrossing  work,  yet  both  are  in 
perfect  fellowship.  He  knows  that  she  is  there,  and  she 
knows  that  he  is  all  right.  So  the  saint  and  the  Saviour 
can  go  on  for  hours  in  the  silent  fellowship  of  love,  and 
he  be  busy  about  the  most  common  things,  and  yet 
conscious  that  every  little  thing  he  does  is  touched  with 
the  complexion  of  His  presence,  and  the  sense  of  His 
approval  and  blessing. 

And  then,  when  pressed  with  burdens  and  troubles 
too  complicated  to  put  into  words  and  too  mysterious  to 
tell  or  understand,  how  sweet  it  is  to  fall  back  into  His 
blessed  arms,  and  just  sob  out  the  sorrow  that  we  can- 
not speak ! 

"Too  tired,  too  worn  to  prny, 
I  can  but  fold  my  liands, 
Entreating  in  a  voiceless  way 
Of  Him  who  understands. 

"And  as  the  weary  child, 

Sobbing  and  sore  oppressed, 
Sinks,  hushing  all  its   wailings  wild 
Upon  its  mother 's  breast, 

"So  on  Thy  bosom,  I 

Would  pour  my  speechless  prayer; 
Not  doubting  Thou  wilt  let  me  lie 
In  trustful  weakness  there." 


THE   HOLY   SPIEIT   IN  PHILIPPIANS 


163 


2.  This  also  includes  our  cominunion  with  one  another. 
**The  fellowship  of  the  Spirit"  means  fellowship  in  the 
Spirit  with  spiritual  minds.  Thank  God  for  the  article 
in  the  creed  which  binds  together  the  Church  of  every 
age  and  clime,  "I  believe  in  the  communion  of  saints." 

This  must,  of  course,  be  first  of  all,  communion  in  the 
Spirit.  It  is  not  the  fellowship  merely  of  natural  affec- 
tion but  it  is  the  communion  of  hearts  that  have  a  divine 
life  in  common.  Of  course,  it  is  dearer  and  closer  with 
those  that  are  dearest  to  us  but,  even  in  the  case  of  our 
nearest  friends,  our  love  must  be  transformed  or  it  cannot 
be  lasting  or  bring  us  into  spirtual  communion. 

Then  it  is  communion  in  the  truth,  and  the  closer 
our  agreement  in  the  truth,  the  closer  will  be  our  com- 
munion in  the  Spirit.  Therefore  as  God  leads  us  on  to 
deeper  teachings  and  higher  truths.  He  intensifies  our 
fellowship. 

We  can  remember  the  time  when  we  were  first  saved 
and  were  brought  at  once  into  the  same  fellowship 
with  all  others  that  were  saved.  Our  little  note  was 
"Jesus  saves  me,"  and  every  saved  man  was  a  brother 
beloved.  We  just  wanted  to  take  him  by  the  hand  and 
tell  him  we  were  brothers.  But  it  was  just  one  little 
part  in  the  chorus.  It  was  the  soprano,  and  soprano 
alone  makes  very  thin  music. 

After  a  while  w'e  learned  the  deeper  bass  of  sanctifica- 
tion,  and  then  we  got  a  new  note,  and  a  new  part  to  our 
song.  And  our  music  grew  richer,  and  our  harmony 
fuller. 

We  can  remember  the  first  time  we  met  another  Chris- 
tion  who  had  also  learned  the  blessed  truth  of  Christ 
our  Sanctifier.  He  was  not  only  a  brother,  but  he  was 
doubly  a  brother.  And  oh,  how  delightful  it  was  to  find 
one  that  could  understand  our  deeper  feelings  and  teach- 
ings in  the  Spirit,  and  how  much  closer  was  our  com- 
munion in  the  fullness  of  the  truth ! 

After  a  while  we  added  a  third  part,  the  triumphant 


'J 

v. 


I. 

'♦.I 

!] 


t^-  '\  i 


164 


POWER  FfiOM  ON  HIGH 


4 


:t:i 


n 


tenor  of  divine  healing,  and  the  Lord's  supernatural 
life  in  our  body.  Shall  we  ever  forget  the  first  time  we 
were  thrown  into  the  society  of  those  who  understood  and 
believed  these  things?  We  had  been  standing  alone,  mis- 
understood, misrepresented,  perplexed,  and  as  we  found 
some  other  heart  tliat  was  treading  the  same  lone  way 
and  living  in  the  same  blessed  experience,  it  was  a  three- 
fold chord,  and  a  divine  fellowship. 

iVnd  yet  there  is  one  more  part  in  perfect  music,  the 
soft  suggestive  undertone  of  the  alto,  that  carries  our 
thoughts  afar  and  wakes  up  the  chords  of  memory  and 
hope.  And  so  we  came  into  the  fourth  truth  of  this 
blessed  gospel, — the  Coming  of  our  Lord,  and  the  glor- 
ious hope  of  His  return.  Need  I  say  that  this  brought 
a  deeper  fellowship  still  with  those  who  stand  together 
in  this  holy  expectation  as  the  waiting  Bride  of  the 
Lamb?  And  so  God  makes  us  one  in  the  fulhiess  of  the 
truth.  Let  us  not  lightly  think  of  any  trutli  which  He 
has  given  us,  or  fail  to  be  true  to  His  testimony  and  our 
mutual  fellowship. 

Then  again,  we  have  fellowship  not  only  in  the  truth, 
but  in  the  life  of  the  Spirit.  AU  the  platforms  in  the 
world  will  not  make  us  one  without  oneness  of  heart. 
The  fourfold  gospel  is  not  any  better  than  the  thirty- 
nine  articles  without  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  true  secret 
of  Christian  union  is  the  baptism  of  the  Spirit  and  the 
fullness  of  the  life  of  Christ  in  all  who  believe. 

And  this  is  tho  fellowship  of  prayer.  It  makes  us 
iLimsitive  to  each  other's  needs  and  burdens  and  it  binds 
us  all  together,  like  travellers  in  the  mountains,  so  that  if 
one  falls  the  others  hold  him  up,  and  if  one  suffers  all 
suffer  toirether. 

Let  us  ask  God  to  show  us  all  that  this  ministry  means 
for  us  and  for  His  servants;  let  us  each  be  so  ** fitly 
framed"  in  the  body  of  Christ,  that  we  shall  carry  upon 
our  hearts  the  very  ones  tiie  Spirit  would  assign  to  us, 


THE   HOLY   SPIRIT   IN   PHILirPIANS 


165 


and  the  very  burdens  which  lie  would  have  us  share  with 
them. 

Finally,  it  is  fellowship  in  service.  We  are  called 
together  for  a  common  testimony  and  a  common  work  in 
these  last  momentous  days.  It  is  not  accidental  that  the 
Holy  Spirit  has  given  us  a  common  experience  and  has 
led  us  out  in  similar  lines  of  truth  and  life.  He  is  pre- 
paring a  mighty  spiritual  movement  in  these  last  times 
for  the  special  preparation  of  the  Master's  coming,  and 
we  cannot  miss  His  special  calling  without  great  loss  to 
ourselves,  and  great  hindrances  to  His  purpose  for  our 
lives  and  for  His  church. 

When  God  brings  into  our  life  a  special  experience  of 
truth  and  blessing,  we  cannot  go  on  as  heretofore,  but 
there  is  always  some  special  ministry  and  testimony  for 
which  we  have  been  prepared,  and  we  are  to  stand  to- 
gether for  the  propagation  of  these  present  truths,  and 
the  help  of  other  lives  that  need  the  very  blessing  that 
has  come  to  us. 

How  solemnly  some  of  us  feel  that  if  we  had  faltered 
in  our  testimony,  when  God  first  spake  to  us  these  deeper 
things,  not  only  should  we  have  lost  the  best  work  of  our 
life,  but  multitudes  of  other  lives  might  have  missed  their 
blessing,  too. 

Whatever  else  we  do,  beloved,  let  us  be  true.  Let  no 
coward  fear,  let  no  compromise  with  popular  opinion 
and  half-hearted  respectibility  make  us  falter  in  our 
high  calling,  or  be  faithless  to  the  bonds  of  fellowship  in 
the  little  flock  that  the  Master  is  preparing  for  His  king- 
dom. 

"If  there  be,  therefore,  any  consolation  in  Christ,  if 
any  comfort  of  love,  if  any  fellowship  in  the  Spirit,  if 
any  bowels  and  mercies,  fulfill  ye  my  joy,  that  ye  be  like- 
minded,  having  the  same  love,  being  of  one  accord,  of 
one  mind. 


r  rf-'l 


M 


CHAPTER  XVII. 
THE  SPIRIT  OF  LOVE. 


r  i4. 


.■*if 


^1 


"Your  love  in  the  Spirit. "—Col.  1:8. 

THIS  is  the  only  reference  to  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the 
Epistle  to  the  Colossians.  The  theme  of  this  beauti- 
ful letter  is  the  fullness  and  glory  of  Jesus.  But 
Jesus  cannot  be  glorified  without  recognizing  the  Hoi}' 
Ghost ;  and  so  we  have  this  brief  reference  to  the  blessed 
Spirit.  But  brief  as  it  is,  it  shines  like  a  heavenly- 
pearl,  reflecting  the  deepest  and  most  important  truths 
concerning  the  blessed  Comforter. 

The  apostle  had  just  been  visited  by  Epaphras,  one  of 
the  ministers  of  the  Colossian  Church,  and  he  had  re- 
ported to  him  the  condition  of  that  Church.  It  was  all 
summed  up  in  one  sentence,  "He  declared  unto  us  your 
love  in  the  Spirit."  This  seems  to  have  been  the  one 
characteristic  of  this  Colossian  Church;  it  was  full  of 
love.  Its  fellowship  was  perfect,  its  union  unbroken ;  its 
members  were  filled  with  charity,  unselfishness  and  con- 
sideration for  one  another.  There  were  no  gossiping 
tongues ;  there  were  no  slanderous  rumors ;  there  were  no 
misunderstandings  and  quarrels;  there  were  no  criticisms, 
murmurings  and  bad  feelings,  but  all  were  joined  to- 
gether in  harmonious  love  and  beautiful  co-operation  in 
the  testimony,  work  and  worship  of  the  Church.  And  this 
was  manifestly  a  divine  unity.  It  was  "love  in  the 
Spirit."  It  was  not  mere  partisanship,  nor  personal 
friendship ;  it  was  not  because  they  were  clannish,  and 
united  in  little  cliques  of  personal  favoritism,  but  it  was 
all  so  heavenly,  so  holy,  so  Christ-like  that  it  was  evi- 
dently the  prompting  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  And  so,  as  the 
apostle  hears  of  it,  he  exclaims  with  thanksgiving  and 
deep  joy,  "We  give  thanks  to  God,  and  the  Father  of  our 

166 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  LOVE 


167 


I  of 
its 
con- 
ping 
re  no 
isms, 
to- 
lon  in 
this 
the 
sonal 
and 
was 
evi- 
s  the 
and 
four 


Lord  Jesus  Christ,  praying  always  for  you  since  we  heard 
of  your  faith  in  Clirist  Jesus,  and  of  the  love  ye  have  to 
all  the  saints,  for  the  hope  which  is  laid  up  for  you  in 
heaven. ' ' 

Would  to  God  that  this  beautiful  picture  might  be  more 
frequently  repeated.  Let  us  look  at  it  as  a  pattern  of 
true  Christian  love  and  an  illustration  of  the  choicest 
and  noblest  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

There  is  plenty  of  love  in  the  world  and  always  will 
be.  It  is  the  secret  of  every  romance,  the  theme  of  every 
poem,  and  the  centre  of  every  play  that  has  ever  touched 
the  heart  of  humanity,  or  charmed  the  ears  of  men.  It 
lies  back  of  all  that  is  heroic  in  national  history.  It 
gilds  every  record  of  patriotism  and  glorifies  every  home 
altar  and  fireside.  But  there  is  a  great  difference  between 
the  love  of  nature  and  ' '  love  in  the  Spirit. ' ' 

I.  Natural  love  is  an  instinct  and  a  passion;  the  love 
of  the  Spirit  is  a  new  creation  and  the  fruit  of  the 
supernatural  life  imparted  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  when  the 
soul  is  born  from  above.  The  natural  heart  knows  noth- 
ing about  it.  Human  love  may  only  be  a  little  higher 
in  measure,  degree  and  character  than  the  instinct  of 
the  mother  bird  over  her  young,  or  the  fondness  of  the 
lioness  for  her  cubs.  It  is  born  of  earth  and  with  earth 
it  will  pass  away.  But  the  love  of  the  Spirit  descendeth 
from  above.  It  is  part  of  the  nature  of  God  and  it  must 
last  forever.  It  is  the  kinship  of  a  heavenly  family  and 
the  bond  of  an  eternal  home. 

II.  Natural  love  is  selfish,  in  its  nature  and  terminates 
upon  its  own  gratification;  divine  love  is  unselfish  and 
reaches  out  to  the  good  of  its  object.  And  therefore  the 
strongest  affection  born  of  earthly  passion  may  turn  to 
the  bitterest  hate,  if  it  is  crossed  and  disappointed.  It 
can  strike  down,  with  the  deathblow  of  vengeance,  the 
one  for  whom  it  would  have  given  its  life,  when  that  one 
awakens  its  jealousy  and  resentment.  Divine  love  on  the 
other  hand,  forgets  itself,  and  seeks  to  bless  its  object. 


11    I 


168 


POWER  FEOM  ON  TiIGII 


'I 


It  does  not  love  for  the  sake  of  the  pleasure  of  loving,  nor 
for  the  sake  of  the  pleasure  the  loved  one  can  afford ;  but 
it  loves  in  order  to  bless  and  help  and  elevate  and  it 
shrinks  from  no  sacrifice  even  the  sacrifice  of  its  own  hap- 
piness, if  it  may  accomplish  its  high  purpose  for  its  object. 

III.  Natural  love  is  based  upon  the  attractive  qualities 
of  its  object ;  divine  love  springs  from  something  within, 
and  is  the  outflow  of  an  irresistible  impulse  in  itself. 
Mere  human  love  is  attracted  by  the  goodness  and  loveli- 
ness of  the  one  it  loves,  fancied  or  real.  But  divine  love 
can  seize  upon  the  most  unlovely,  can  love  it  into  loveli- 
ness, and  can  keep  on  loving  througli  an  impulse  in  its 
own  heart,  when  everything  in  the  circumstances  would 
render  it  impossible.  And  so,  "God  commendeth  His 
love  toward  us,  ii:  that,  while  we  were  yet  sinners,  Christ 
died  for  us." 

We  see  a  faint  approximation  to  this  kind  of  love  in 
true  motherhood.  Who  ever  saw  a  mother  yet  that  did 
not  have  a  ''beautiful  baby?"  Others  might  not  see  it 
but  she  sees  it.  And  even  when  tluit  babe  is  decrepit, 
feeble  and  fretful,  and  a  source  of  constant  trial  and 
strain,  instead  of  lessening,  it  intensifies  that  maternal 
affection.  Night  and  day  it  is  her  joy  to  minister  and 
suffer  and  serve ;  and  when  that  little  sufferer  passes  out 
of  her  life,  her  loss  is  all  the  greater  because  it  cost  her 
so  much,  and  she  knows  not  how  to  get  on  without  the 
frail  and  feeble  dependent  one,  which  was  almost  her 
very  life. 

God  loved  us  because  of  something  in  Himself  and  so  if 
Christ  is  dwelling  in  us,  we  shall  love  because  of  the 
Christ  within  us,  and  we  shall  love  even  the  unworthy 
and  the  unlovely,  because  He  loves  them,  even  when  we 
cannot  love  them  for  themselves. 

IV.  Natural  love  is  sensitive  and  lives  in  the  sunshine 
of  responsive  affection,  but  divine  love  is  long-suffering, 
patient,  and  true,  in  the  darkest  hour  of  suffering  and 
wrong.  The  very  element  of  divine  love  is  suffering.    In 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  LOVE 


169 


the  sublime  picture  given  in  First  Corinthians,  the  thir- 
teenth chapter,  love  begins  her  march  by  "suffering 
long,"  and  ends  by  "enduring  all  things,"  while  in  the 
centre  stands  the  signni,  "love  is  not  provoked."  The 
whole  environment  of  her  being  is  suffering  and  wrong. 
She  can  suffer  without  being  unkind  and  endure  with- 
out being  hard.  Her  sublimest  example  is  the  Son  of 
God  in  the  midst  of  His  cruel  foes;  the  more  they 
wronged  Him,  the  more  He  felt  that  they  needed  His 
love  and  the  more  He  longed  to  suffer  that  He  might 
bless  and  save  them.  This  is  ever  the  spirit  of  Christian 
love. 

A  few  weeks  ago,  when  half  a  score  of  martyrs  fell 
in  Southern  China,  one  of  the  survivors,  in  speaking  of 
that  hour,  said  that  when  they  were  all  expecting  death, 
the  only  consciousness  which  she  remembered  was  the 
intense  joy  and  love  which  seemed  to  be  breathed  into 
their  hearts  from  the  very  gates  of  heaven.  iViid  when 
the  tidings  reached  their  friends  in  England,  there  was 
no  word  of  resentment,  even  from  those  who  loved  them 
best,  but  a  still  deeper  longing  to  go  forth  in  yet  diviner 
love  and  save  men  from  the  ignorance  and  the  blindness 
which  could  make  them  perpetrate  such  a  crime. 

The  love  that  blesses  those  that  bless  us  is  only  earthly, 
"do  not  even  the  publicans  the  same?"  But  the  love  that 
reaches  out  to  those  who  can  make  no  return,  the  love 
that  blesses  them  that  curse  us,  and  prays  for  them  that 
despitefuUy  use  us  and  persecute  us,  and  would  die  for 
those  that  would  take  our  very  life,  this  is  the  love  of 
God ;  this  the  Holy  Ghost  alone  can  produce  in  the  heart. 

V.  Natural  love  is  fitful;  divine  love  is  abiding  and 
everlasting.  Natural  love  depends  either  upon  our  moods 
or  the  moods  of  those  we  love.  But  divine  love  is  the 
eternal  Christ  within  us,  loving  on  the  same  through 
good  and  ill  forever.  Oh,  how  much  we  need  to  pray, 
"Search  me,  oh  God,  and  see  if  there  be  in  me  any  evil 
way,  and  lead  me  in  the  way  everlasting!" 


3!  , 


170 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


i 
■1- 


Do  we  not  want  the  affections  that  shall  be  forover? 
Are  we  not  tired  of  having  our  heartstrings  torn?  lie  is 
able  to  give  us  His  own  evt^rlasting  love. 

VI.  Natural  love  is  exclusive,  partial,  and  partisan; 
divine  love  is  comprehensive  and  universal,  like  the  very 
heart  of  God.  It  does  not  love  its  favorites,  but  it  loves 
for  love's  sake  all  that  need  to  be  loved.  It  does  not 
ignore  the  closer  ties  and  fellowships  of  life.  It  does 
not  love  all  alike  with  the  same  affection  nor  even  with 
the  same  degree;  but  it  loves  eacli  in  the  place  whert* 
God  has  fitted  him  and  her  into  our  life,  and  loves  all 
in  due  proportion  and  world-wide  sympathy. 

It  gives  the  husband  a  deeper  affection  to  the  wife, 
who  hj^  er  peculiar  place  in  his  heart.  It  gives  tlie 
friend  a  yet  more  delicate  and  special  bond  of  fellow- 
ship with  the  one  that  fits  into  the  closest  sympathy  and 
fellowship  of  the  heart.  But  it  has  room  for  every  fel- 
lowship, every  tie,  and  every  friend,  each  in  his  true 
place,  and  all  in  perfect  symmetry,  and  fullness.  Like 
the  broad  bright  sunshine,  it  goes  wherever  there  is  room, 
and  it  goes  most  quickly  where  there  is  largest  room. 
Like  the  blessed  Master,  it  has  the  John,  that  leans  upon 
its  breast,  and  the  Mary,  that  enters  into  its  deeper 
confidences;  but  it  has  also  the  Peter  who,  in  his  place, 
is  loved  as  truly,  the  Thomas,  who  finds  the  sympathy  he 
needs,  and  the  little  child,  that  lies  in  His  bosom  with 
confiding  delight.    This  is  the  love  of  God. 

Human  love  becomes  antagonistic  and  dislikes  those 
who  are  not  within  the  charmed  circle,  but  God's  great 
love  has  a  universal  fairness,  justness,  and  rightness, 
and  yet  a  sweeter  tenderness,  and  a  finer  delicacy  in  its 
every  heart-throb  and  holy  tendril,  than  the  finest  senti- 
ment of  human  affection. 

VII.  Human  love  is  intemperate ;  divine  love  is  moder- 
ate and  self -restrained.  The  petulant,  passionate  mother, 
in  one  moment  can  hug  to  her  bosom  her  beloved  child 
with  passionate  aJffection,  and  in  the  next  can  pour  out 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  LOVE 


171 


the  fierce  invectives  of  wrath  upon  his  head.  The  im- 
pulsive father  can  love  his  boy  so  intemperately  and  in- 
dulgently, as  to  be  unwilling  to  deny  him  the  wishes  and 
gratifications  which  he  knows  may  cost  him  his  character 
and  his  future  life.  True  love  restrains  and  even  dares 
to  displease,  tliat  it  may  do  even  greater  good  in  the 
end  to  its  object.  And  thus  God  loves  us,  even  to  wound- 
ing us  that  He  may  heal,  and  chastening  us,  that  He 
may  save. 

Thus  it  was  that  Joseph  loved  his  brothers,  restraining 
the  bursting  affection  of  his  heart,  while  he  sternly  stood 
off  from  these  guilty  men,  and  brought  them  to  repent- 
ance; and  then,  when  they  saw  their  wrong,  he  was  the 
first  to  forgive,  and  help  them  to  forget ;  throwing  him- 
self upon  their  bosom,  with  passionate  intenKity  he 
cried,  ''Be  not  grieved  nor  angry  with  yourselves,  it  was 
not  you,  but  Grod." 

This  is  divine  love,  a  thoughtful,  sober,  far-seeing  de- 
votion, brave  enough  to  wound  that  it  may  heal,  and  to 
correct  that  it  may  save. 

VIII.  Human  love  lives  by  sight;  divine  love  walks 
by  faith.  And  so  we  read,  "love  believeth  all  things, 
hopeth  all  things."  When  it  cannot  see  the  quality  of 
loveliness  in  its  object  now,  it  prays  that  God  may  place 
it  there,  and  it  believes  in  the  answer  to  its  prayer,  and 
acts  as  if  it  were  already  fulfilled ;  and  then  hope  joins 
hands  with  faith  and  looks  out  into  the  future,  until 
the  vision  becomes  a  present  realization,  and  it  covers  its 
object  with  all  the  glory  of  that  which  some  day  is  to 
be. 

Thus  God  loves  us.  He  sees  us,  not  as  we  are  today 
in  our  unworthiness  and  sin,  but  as  we  shall  be,  some 
day,  when  we  shine  forth  as  the  sun  in  the  Kingdom  of 
our  Father,  and  reflect  the  glory  and  the  beauty  of 
our  Saviour's  face;  and  this  is  what  He  recognizes  and 
delights  in.  He  treats  us  every  moment  as  if  we  were 
already  glorified.     He  sees  us  "in  heavenly  places  in 


172 


POWER   FROM  ON  TTIGH 


»I4- 


'1^ 


Christ  Jesus."  He  "believes  all  things,  and  hopes  all 
things"  for  us,  and  purposeth  to  fulfill  all  thing's  in  us. 
This  is  the  love  with  which  we  should  bless  our  friends. 
Thus  should  wo  pray  for  them,  believe  for  them,  tind  S(!0 
them  in  the  light  of  God  and  heaven ;  and  thus  our  love 
will  lift  them  up  to  its  own  vision,  and  realize  in  them 
its  own   holy  purpose. 

IX.  Human  love  is  human;  ''love  in  the  Spirit"  is 
the  love  of  God  within  us.  It  is  the  love  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  Himself,  filling  and  flowing  in  our  h-jarts.  It  is 
not  the  best  that  we  can  feel,  or  say,  or  Jo,  but  it  is  the 
very  heart  of  Christ  reproduced  in  us.  And  so  it  has 
been  well  said  that  the  thirteenth  chapter  of  First 
Corinthians  is  just  a  photograph  of  Jesus,  and  the  true 
way  to  read  it  is  to  insert  Clirist  instead  of  love,  and  then 
to  transfer  to  it  our  hearts  and  lives  and  insert  Christ 
instead  of  self  in  our  experience.  Then,  indeed,  it  shall 
be  true  that  "Christ  in  us  sufFereth  long  and  is  kind; 
Christ  in  us  seeketh  not  His  own;  Christ  in  us  envieth 
not,  is  not  puffed  up ;  Christ  in  us  rejoiceth  not  in  in- 
iquity but  rejoiceth  in  the  truth;  Christ  in  us  is  not 
provoked;  Christ  in  us  beareth  all  things,  believeth  all 
things,  hopeth  all  things,  endureth  all  things,  and  never 
faileth." 

And  so  we  are  thrown  back  again  upon  Him,  and 
constrained  to  sink  out  of  self  into  Christ,  and  to  say, 
**Not  I,  but  Christ  that  liveth  in  me."  This  is  the  pur- 
pose of  the  Holy  Ghost,  to  show  us  our  insufficiency  and 
Christ's  all-sufficiency  and,  step  by  step,  to  transfer  the 
living  picture  to  our  lives  and  reproduce  the  living  reality 
in  our  experience. 

This,  then,  is  ' '  Love  in  the  Spirit. ' '  The  blessed  Spirit 
of  Love  has  come  down  from  heaven  to  teach  us  this 
crowning  lesson  of  righteousness,  holiness,  and  divino 
conformity.  For  "God  is  love,  and  he  that  dwelletii  in 
love  dwelleth  in  God,  and  God  in  Him."    Love  is  the 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  LOVE 


173 


fulfilling  of  the  law.  Love  is  the  sum  of  all  f^oodness. 
Love  is  the  essence  of  holiness.    Love  is  life. 

The  Holy  Ghost  has  come  to  train  us  in  the  school  of 
love.  Day  by  day  He  leads  us  out  into  some  new  lesson 
as  we  are  able  to  bear  it.  And  when  thing's  seem  hard 
and  tryinj^,  it  is  just  another  class  in  the  scliool  of  dis- 
cipline, another  opi)ortunity  of  putting  on  Clirist  Jesus 
and  learning  either  the  patience,  or  the  long-suffering,  or 
the  gentleness  of  love. 

An  injured  bishop  was  once  complaining  to  Francis 
De  Sales  Kow  a  brother  had  wronged  him,  lied  about 
him,  and  tried  in  every  way  to  defame  him;  the  good 
saint  listened  and  assented,  saying,  "Yes,  my  brother, 
it's  all  true;  it's  very  wrong;  it's  very  unkind;  it's  very 
unjust;  it's  very  cruel;"  and  then  he  added,  "but  there 
is  another  side  to  it."  "But,"  said  the  Bishop,  "do 
you  mean  to  say  that  there  is  any  excuse  or  reason  to 
justify  this?" 

"Not  on  hisi  part,  my  brother,  but  there  is  on  the 
other  side  of  the  question,  a  still  higher  reason  for  it, 
and  it  is  this:  that  God  has  let  all  this  happen  to  you, 
and  all  this  to  be  said  about  you,  to  teach  you  the  lesson 
that  is  worth  more  to  you  than  even  your  good  name, 
and  that  is  to  hold  your  tongue  when  people  talk  about 
you,  which  it  is  very  evident  you  ha\  c  not  yet  learned. ' ' 

The  good  Bishop  saw  the  lesson,  fi  silently  received 
it.  Would  to  God  that  we  might  ?  ::  in  everything  our 
Master's  hand,  our  Teacher's  lesson,  our  Father's  love. 
Life  would  become  to  us  a  school  of  love,  and  we  so 
sweetly  perfected  in  this  highest  grace,  that  nothing  could 
hurt  us  but,  above  the  hand  of  every  enemy  we  should 
see  the  hand  of  love  more  richly  blessing  us  and  making 
"even  the  wrath  of  man  to  praise"  God,  and  minister 
to  our  perfection.  Then,  perhaps,  we  should  some  da}^ 
be  able  to  say,  like  one  of  the  Medieval  saints,  "It  is  so 
sweet  to  love  my  enemies  that  if  it  were  a  sin  to  do  so,  I 
fear  I  should  be  tempted  l    commit  that  sin,  and  if  it 


/  ■ 


\\i 


174 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


were  forbidden  by  the  Lord,  I  fear  it  would  be  the  great- 
est temptation  of  my  life  to  disobey  that  commandment. ' ' 
God  give  us  the  *4ove  of  the  Spirit,"  and  say  to  us 
afresh  the  new  commandment:  "Love  one  another,  as  I 
have  loved  you. 


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CHAPTER  X^^III. 

THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  THESSALONIANS. 

"For  our  gospel  came  not  uuto  you  in  word  only,  but  also  in 
power,  and  in  the  Holy  Ghost." — I  Thesa.  1:  5. 

"Having  received  the  word  in  much  affliction,  with  joy  of  the 
Holy  Ghost."— I  These.  1:6. 

"God  liath  -•'•  jm  the  beginning  chosen  you  to  salvation  through 
sanctifieation  of  the  Spirit  and  belief  of  the  truth." — II  These. 
2:  13. 

"Quench  not  tfie  Spirit."— I   Thess.  5:19. 

THE  first  three  of  these  four  passages  present  to  us 
tliree  aspects  of  the  v>urk  of  the  Holy  Ghost;  as  the 
Spirit  of  power,  of  joy,  and  of  holiness,  and  the  last 
passage  presents  the  practical  side  of  the  question  and 
the  solemn  danger  of  our  quenching  the  Holy  Ghost. 


THE  POWER  OF  THE  SPIRIT. 

The  apostle  attributes  the  conversion  of  the  Thessa- 
lonian  Christians  to  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  His 
work  among  them  was  accompanied  with  extraordinary 
manifestations  of  the  Spirit's  convicting  and  converting 
power.  Speaking  of  it  again,  the  apostle  says,  "Your- 
selves, brethren,  know  our  entrance  in  unto  you,  that  it 
was  not  in  vain;  when  ye  received  the  word  of  God 
which  ye  heard  of  us,  ye  received  it  not  as  the  word  of 
men,  but,  as  it  is  in  truth,  the  Word  of  God,  which  ef- 
fectually worketh  also  in  you  that  believe." 

So  wonderful  \vas  their  awakening  and  turning  to  God, 
that  he  could  say  of  them :  '  *  From  you  sounded  out  the 
word  of  the  Lord,  not  only  in  Macedonia  and  Achaia, 
but  also  in  every  place  your  faith  to  God-ward  is  spread 
abroad ;  so  that  we  need  not  to  speak  anything.  For  they 
themselves  show  of  us  what  manner  of  entering  in  we  had 

175 


176 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


unto  you,  and  how  ye  turned  from  idols  to  serve  the 
living  and  true  God;  and  to  wait  for  His  Son  from 
heaven,  even  Jesus,  whieh  delivered  us  from  the  wrath  to 


>> 


come. 

These  wonderful  results  the  apostle  attributes  entirely 
to  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  accompanying  the  word 
of  God,  and  giving  it  such  authority  that  they  received 
it,  not  as  the  word  of  man,  but  as  a  direct  message  from 
the  living  God. 

This  is  the  first  element  in  the  power  of  the  Spirit, 
that  it  takes  the  worker  and  the  speaker  quite  out  of 
view,  and  brings  the  hearer  face  to  face  with  the  author- 
ity of  God. 

This  is  what  Paul  means,  when  he  says  that  his  word 
came  to  them  with  much  assurance.  This  means,  literally, 
much  boldness.  He  spoke  to  them  as  a  messenger  direct 
from  heaven,  and  they  so  received  him.  His  message 
was  not  with  wisdom  of  words,  nor  studied  rhetoric,  but 
with  divine  authority.  How  much  of  our  preaching  is 
with  words  only — logical  words,  rhetorical  words,  well- 
uttered  words,  perhaps  pathetic  words,  words  that  move 
to  tears  or  to  enthusiasm,  but  only  words! 

The  Holy  Spirit's  power  leads  men  beyond  all  forms 
of  expression,  to  the  substance  of  God's  great  message 
of  repentance  and  salvation,  and  the  necessity  of  im- 
mediate decision  and  obedience.  It  makes  people  do 
something,  and  do  it  at  once  and  forever. 

The  word  for  power  here  is  dynamite.  It  is  the  kind 
of  power  that  breaks  up  tilings.  It  breaks  up  the  con- 
science and  convicts  it  of  sin.  It  breaks  up  the  heart  and 
nr-elts  it  to  repentance.  It  breaks  the  will  into  surrender 
and  choice.  It  breaks  the  fetteis  of  sin,  the  habits  of  life, 
and  the  bonds  of  Satan. 

Not  only  does  it  speak  to  men  in  much  assurance,  but 
it  produces  in  them  the  same  assurance.  It  makes  them 
to  know  that  God  is  speaking,  to  know  that  they  are 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  THESSALONIANS 


177 


sinners,  to  know  that  they  are  lost,  and  then  to  know  that 
they  are  saved. 

Beloved,  have  we  felt  this  convicting,  converting,  trans- 
forming power  ?  Fellow-workers,  is  this  our  reliance,  our 
supreme  and  sole  dependence  for  the  salvation  of  men, 
and  the  service  of  our  King? 


n. 


THE  JOY  OP  THE  SPIRIT. 

One  of  the  first  results  of  the  conversion  of  the  Thessa- 
lonians  was  the  spirit  of  joy.  "Ye  received  the  word  in 
much  affliction,  with  joy  of  the  Holy  Ghost." 

The  spirit  of  gladness  is  one  of  the  immediate  fruits 
of  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  new  life  is  essentially  a  joy -life, 
banishing  the  very  elements  of  sorrow  and  gloom,  and 
bringing  us  into  the  light  of  an  everlasting  sunshine. 

The  joy  of  the  Holy  Ghost  is  not  a  natural  emotion 
and  it  is  not  dependent  upon  favorable  circumstances  or 
pleasant  surroundings.  In  the  present  case,  their  joy 
is  an  immediate  contact  and  contrast  with  much  affliction. 
They  had  everything  to  try  them — persecution,  the  loss 
of  friends,  the  danger  of  even  death  itself;  but  the 
very  extremity  of  their  affliction  only  developed  a  deeper 
and  diviner  joy. 

So  it  ever  is.  Christian  life  is  an  everlasting  paradox ; 
"sorrowful  yet  always  rejoicing;  poor  yet  making  many 
rich;  having  nothing,  and  yet  possessing  all  things." 

It  is  an  inexplicable  mystery.  The  world  cannot  under- 
stand it;  the  world  cannot  give  it,  and,  thank  God,  the 
world  cannot  take  it  away.  We  cannot  understand  it 
ourselves.  It  is  a  song  in  the  night,  that  gives  no  other 
reason  for  its  singing  than  that  the  song  is  there.  It  is 
a  fountain  in  the  desert,  that  flows  from  no  visible  source, 
and  empties  into  no  earthly  outlet,  and  runs  according  to 
no  prescribed  channel.  It  is  an  artesian  well  that  bursts 
from  tlu)  rocky  di'pths,  and  flows  on  Vvithout  the  meehan- 

12 


178 


POWRf(  fROM 


niGIT 


'1 
-5) 


:^ 


i  i 


■i 


i  ! 
It 


ism  of  pumps,  or  endless  chains,  or  li^vman  buckets,  or 
hands.  It  is  glad,  just  because  there  is  a  gladness  tiiere 
that  came  from  heaven  and  belongs  to  heaven  and  lives 
in  heaven  forever. 

It  is  a  blessed  heritage.  It  is  a  fortune  to  its  possessor, 
even  amid  the  depths  of  penury.  It  is  an  antidote  to 
temptation  and  sin.  It  lifts  us  above  the  power  of  evil 
and  holds  as  in  the  impregnable  heights  of  peace  and 
victory.  It  is  a  balm  for  sickness  and  pain,  and  a  holy 
elixir  for  nerve  and  brain  and  every  outward  ill.  It 
is  '^Afi  i/jspiration  for  service,  and  gives  an  irresistible 
emjp^«»gis  to  our  itppeala  to  the  sin-sick  and  sorrowing 
world ;  ti  in  vain  to  call  the  lost  and  weary  to  the  gates 
of  Mercy,  when  the  telltale  countenance,  the  tired  man- 
ner, Mid  tlii«  *«?|>ul^hral  tone  as.«  ire  them,  that  they  are 
happi*nr  them  W4f,  The  joy  cl  Hie  Lord  is  our  strength, 
not  only  for  ho\ir,4im,  but  for  health,  and  happiness,  and 
holy  'mi\iu^w>^  on  (Aher  hearts  and  lives,  and  in  all  our 
work  for  Gofl  and  m^n 

Beloved,  open  your  heart  and  receive  the  joy  of  the 
Spirit 

HI. 

fWf/  ^ANCTIFICATION  OP  TIIK  SPllilT. 

Thfi  fifHt  thing  that  strongly  impressf's  an  ordinary 
and  ('tffuHd  reader  of  this  verso  is  the  strong  niid  uni- 
versal la/ii<ri»(re  in  which  sanrlification  is  here  spoken  of 
as  an  essential  part  of  our  salvation. 

It  is  stated  in  the  most  unambiguous  language  that  we 
are  "chosen  to  salvation  through  sanctification  of  the 
Spirit  and  belief  of  the  truth."  We  are  not  chosen  to 
salvat'on  irr  ^f^ective  of  our  spirtual  condition,  but  we 
are  chosen  to  those  conditions;  and  one  of  the  essential 
conditions  is  sanctification  of  the  Spirit. 

How  any  man  or  woman  can  expect  salvation,  and  yet 
be  indifTiU*ent  t<  his  sar<»tifieation,  is  very  hard  to  under- 
ataiid.    The  salvation  consists  largely  in  the  sanctification 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  TIIESSALONIANS 


179 


and 


itself,  for  thus,  and  thus  alone  are  we  saved  from  the 
virulent  and  soul  destroying  power  of  sin. 

Sanctification  is  here  attributed  to  the  Holy  Spirit. 
It  is  His  work,  not  ours ;  it  is  as  much  a  part  of  the  free 
grace  of  God  in  Christ  as  our  justification  and  forgive- 
ness. In  the  previous  epistle,  fifth  chapter,  twenty-third 
verse,  its  nature  is  ver>'  fully  expressed  in  the  apostle's 
prayer:  "The  very  God  of  peace,  or  the  God  of  peace 
Himself,  sanctify  you  through  and  through ;  and  I  pray 
God  your  whole  spirit  and  soul  and  body  be  preserved 
blameless  unto  the  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
Faithful  is  He  that  calleth  you,  who  also  will  do  it." 
God  Himself  must  do  this  work,  and  He  does  it  through 
the  blessed  Holy  Ghost. 

The  word,  sanctify,  has  three  specific  meanings; 
nanidy,  to  separate  ^    m,  dedicate  to,  and  fill  with. 

First,  we  must  lay  .  .£,  and  separate  from,  the  old  life 
of  self  and  sin.  There  are  some  things  we  cannot  conse- 
crate to  God,  but  wf  must  lay  them  down.  The  old  sin- 
offering  could  not  be  laid  on  the  altar — it  was  unclean, 
because  the  sin  of  the  people  had  been  trasf erred  to  it ; 
it  must  be  carried  outside  the  camp  and  thore  burned 
with  fire  in  the  place  of  judgment.  And  so  we  cannofi 
const erute  our  sin  and  our  sinfulness  to  God.  We  must 
renounce  it;  we  must  lay  it  off;  we  must  die  to  it;  we 
must  be  separated  from  it. 

Then,  secondly,  comes  the  dedication  to  God.  This 
is  the  place  for  consecration.  This  is  the  place  for  the 
burnt-offering.  That  was  laid  on  the  altar  and  ac- 
cepted M'*  n  Hweet-smelling  savor.  And  so  when  we 
iiave  separated  from  our  sinful  self,  we  offer  our  new 
life  in  Christ  to  God  in  entire  dedication,  and  He  ac- 
cepts it  as  a  sweet  savor.  But  even  then  it  is  nothing 
but  a  consecrated  will,  a  mere  possib7  in  empty 
vessel,  clean,  but  empty  still,  and  the  power  to 

make  the  ccmsecration  worth  •anything  c  Jod,  must 
come  from  God  Himself.     He  has  the  vessel,  but  Ho 


180 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


^4 


■4 


fi^ 


must  fill  it  and  keep  it  full.  And  so  this  is  the  third 
meaning  of  sanctification.  It  is  the  filling  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  who  takes  our  consecrated  will,  our  clean  and 
empty  vessel  and  all  the  possibilities  of  our  new  and 
yielded  life,  and  so  unites  them  to  Jesus,  and  fills  them 
with  the  very  life  of  Jesus,  that  we  just  live  out  the  life 
of  Christ  from  day  to  day,  and  we  shed  forth  the  fullness 
which  the  Holy  Ghost  supplies  within. 

Our  life  is  not  our  own,  but  "of  His  fullness  have  we 
received,  even  grace  for  grace." 

Now  this  is  the  sanctification  of  the  Spirit.  It  is  His 
peculiar  province  thus  to  sanctifj''  the  souls  that  have 
been  justified  through  the  grace  and  the  blood  of  Christ. 

First,  He  shows  the  soul  its  need  of  sanctification,  its 
inherent  and  hopeless  sinfulness,  and  its  utter  inability 
to  bring  a  clean  thing  out  of  an  unclean,  or  live  a  holy 
life,  with  an  unholy  heart.  Next,  He  shows  us  God's 
provision  for  our  sanctification  in  the  free  gift  of  Christ, 
the  efficacy  of  His  atonement  for  the  death  of  our  old 
self,  the  power  of  His  blood,  and  the  willingness  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  to  undertake  this  work,  to  cleanse  our  heart, 
and  to  dwell  within  it.  Then  He  leads  us  to  the  next 
step, — a  glad  and  full  surrender  and  committal  of  our 
soul  to  Him  for  this  blessed  work,  an  unreserved  separa- 
tion from  all  evil,  and  an  equally  unreserved  dedication 
of  our  all  to  God,  and  to  His  perfect  will. 

Then  He  accepts  us,  and  makes  real  the  transaction 
into  which  we  have  entered;  by  full  surrender  and  ap- 
propriating faith.  He  puts  to  death  our  old  life  of  self 
and  sin  and  lie  enters  and  dwells  within  our  consecrated 
heart,  uniting  us  to  Jesus,  filling  us  with  His  own  all- 
sufficient  grace  and  presence,  and  loading  us  henceforth 
moment  by  moment,  in  constant  dependence  upon  His 
glorious  grace. 

In  one  sonse,  this  work  is  instantaneous ;  it  has  a  definite 
beginning  and  a  moment  in  which  we  count  it  all  eternally 
settled.    In  another  sense,  it  is  progressive,  as  He  leads 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  THESSALONIANS 


181 


us  on  from  step  to  step,  from  strength  t©  strength,  from 
grace  to  grace,  from  glory  to  glory,  even  as  by  the  Spirit 
of  the  Lord. 

As  each  new  revelation  of  light  comes,  He  calls  for 
new  obedience  and  new  advances;  yet  while  we  walk  in 
tLe  light,  we  are  fully  accepted  according  to  the  light  we 
have,  and  counted  holy  and  well-pleasing  in  Ilis  sight. 

It  is  after  we  receive  His  sanctification  and  enter  into 
perfect  union  with  Him,  that  our  real  growth  begins; 
and  the  church  of  Christ  has  yet  to  learn  the  depths  and 
heights  and  lengths  and  breadths  of  the  fullness  of  life 
in  the  Spirit,  as  the  providence  of  God  makes  new  situ- 
ations for  the  obedient  disciple  from  day  to  day,  and  the 
Holy  Ghost  fits  us  into  them  by  His  all-sufficient  grace. 


ition 
ap- 
self 

bted 
all- 
►rth 
His 

Inite 
ally 
lads 


IV. 


THE  PRACTICAL  APPEAL. 


<<, 


Quench  not  the  Spirit." 

In  view  of  these  three  blessed  aspects  of  the  Spirit's 
work,  how  tender  and  solemn  the  appeal :  Quench  not  the 
Spirit!  While  this  primarily  refers  to  the  Church  col- 
lectively, it  may  also  be  true  of  the  believer  individually. 
It  is  possible  for  us,  as  private  Christians,  so  to  misunder- 
stand, hinder,  and  disobey  the  loving  leadings  of  the 
gentle  Holy  Ghost,  that  we  shall  quench  His  holy  fires 
and  disappoint  His  great  purposes  of  love. 

I  do  not  say  that  a  soul  that  truly  believes  in  Jesus 
Christ  will  be  lost  at  last,  but,  beloved,  it  may  lose  very- 
much  of  what  salvation  ought  to  mean.  It  is  one  thing 
to  be  lost;  it  is  another  thing  to  lose  our  crown,  and 
our  Father's  highest  will;  the  Scriptures  are  full  of 
loving  warnings  against  the  danger  of  coming  short  of 
our  full  inheritance,  and  losing  aught  of  our  full  reward. 

The  Holy  Ghost  is  like  a  sensitive  lover.  A  woman's 
heart  is  not  won  by  a  violent  assault,  but  by  the  gentle 
approaches  of  respectful,  sensitive,  and  considerate  love ; 


182 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


::'<: 


< 


■■•(' 
■'*, 

H 

si, 
->  ?' 


n 


and,  at  any  point  along  the  way,  she  can  check  and  chill 
the  advances  of  the  heart  that  woos  her,  until,  at  last, 
she  quenches  the  love  that  would  have  laid  all  at  her  feet. 
And  so  the  Holy  Ghost  conies  to  us,  with  respectful  and 
gentle  monitions.  He  will  accept  no  sacrifice  which  is 
not  freely  given,  He  will  require  no  obedience  th:  t  is  not 
gladly  rendered.  But  He  does  ask  us  for  sacrifice  and 
obedience  as  the  proof  of  our  love,  and  He  does  place 
us  in  situations  of  perplexity  and  trial,  through  which 
alone  we  can  receive  the  training  which  His  love  designs 
for  us. 

Now  here  it  is  that  disobedience  and  refusal  may  come 
in.  We  may  shrink  from  His  gentle  leading;  we  may 
refuse  the  trial  through  which  He  would  bring  us  to  some 
glorious  victory ;  we  may  choose  the  easier  path,  and  shun 
the  dreaded  cross;  but,  in  so  doing,  we  grieve  the  Holy 
Ghost;  we  arrest  our  own  progress;  we  compel  our  God 
to  wait  ULtil  we  are  ready  to  go  forward  with  Him,  and 
after  a  while  we  may  so  wear  out  His  patient  love,  that 
He  shall  find  us  unfit  to  receive  the  blessing  He  designed 
for  us,  and  while  we  may  nut  lose  our  soul,  we  shall  be 
rejected  from  our  crown. 

There  are  souls  that  have  lost  something  out  of  their 
life  forever,  and,  perhaps,  have  become  so  hardened 
that  they  do  not  even  know  what  they  have  lost. 

It  is  possible  to  take  a  piece  of  iron,  red-hot,  and  then 
plunge  it  into  the  water  and  cool  it,  and  do  this  so  many 
times,  that,  at  last,  the  very  metal  scales  off  like  ashes, 
and  the  temper  and  substance  of  the  iron  is  corroded  and 
destroyed. 

It  is  possible  to  wear  out  our  hearts  by  disobedience 
and  repeated  chills  of  divine  love,  until,  at  last,  there  is 
nothing  left  but  dross. 

Oh,  let  us  be  careful  how  we  play  with  the  voice  of 
God,  and  the  infinite,  everlasting  gentleness  and  love  of 
the  mother  heart  of  the  Holy  Ghost!  ''Quench  not  the 
Spirit." 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  THESSALONIANS 


183 


[ence 
Ire  is 

56  of 

^e  of 

the 


You  may  do  it  by  disobedience ;  you  may  do  it  by  dis- 
trust; you  may  do  it  by  self-indulgence  and  cowardly 
softness;  you  may  do  it  by  yielding  to  temptation;  you 
may  do  it  by  going  into  the  world  v  ^  selling  your  birth- 
right for  a  mess  of  pottage ;  you  may  do  it  by  petulance, 
irritation,  an  angr}-  look,  a  hasty  word ;  you  may  do  it 
by  impatience  and  rebellion  against  the  hand  of  God. 
lict  us  be  careful.  Resist  not  the  Spirit.  Grieve  not  the 
Spirit.    Quench  not  the  Spirit. 

And,  finally,  we  may  quen  h  the  Spirit  in  others.  We 
may  hinder  the  work  of  God  in  human  souls.  We  may 
hold  back  the  Church  of  Christ  from  victory.  We  may 
paralyze  the  whole  body  by  keeping  one  or  two  members 
in  a  state  of  chronic  disease. 

So  Moses,  Joshua,  and  Caleb  were  kept  back  for  forty 
years  by  Israel's  unbelief.  So  the  Church  is  kept  back 
today  from  the  fullness  of  Pentecostal  power,  by  the 
weakness  of  so  large  a  part  of  the  body  of  Christ.  And 
so,  many  a  soul  is  cramped,  or  chilled,  or  even  seduced 
from  God's  high  purpose  and  the  Spirit's  holy  calling 
by  the  mistaken  love,  or  the  thoughtless  and  unholy  in- 
fluence of  some  one  that  called  himself  a  friend. 

God  saves  us  from  the  fearful  guilt  of  not  only  sinning, 
but  causing  others  to  sin.  God  help  us  to  fan  the  flame 
of  divine  life  and  power  in  our  own  and  other  hearts, 
until  it  shall  burn,  not  only  with  the  light  of  Pentecost, 
but  as  the  beacon  watch  fire  of  the  Advent  Morning. 


;Mi 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  THE  EPISTLES  OF  PAUL 

TO  TIMOTHY. 


i. 


\\ 


IN  the  pastoral  and  personal  letters  of  Paul  to  his  son 
in  the  gospel,  Timothy,  we  have  five  important  refer- 
ences to  the  Holy  Spirit. 
We  shall  consider  them  in  their  logical  order. 
I.  The  Holy  Spirit  in  relation  to  the  pei*son  and  work 
of  Jesus  Christ.    I.  Timothy  3 :  IG,  "  Great  is  the  mystery 
of  godliness:   God  was  manifest  in  the  flesh,  justified  in 
the  Spirit." 

The  reference  here  is,  no  doubt,  to  the  witness  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  to  the  incarnate  Son  of  God.  This  was  given 
not  only  by  the  announcements  that  preceded  his  birth, 
and  by  the  supernatural  manifestations  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  that  accompanied  and  followed  it,  but  especially 
at  His  baptism,  when  the  Spirit  of  God  publicly  de- 
scended and  abode  upon  Him,  bore  witness  to  His  divine 
Sonship,  and  united  Himself  with  His  person,  becoming 
henceforth  the  enduement  of  power  for  His  ministry 
and  Work.  Henceforth  the  Holy  Ghost  continually  bore 
witness  to  Jesus  Christ  by  manifesting  the  power  of  God 
in  His  words  and  work. 

It  was  through  the  Spirit  that  He  spake  His  messages; 
it  was  through  the  Spirit  that  He  cast  out  demons  and 
healed  the  sick ;  it  was  through  the  Spirit  that  He  offered 
Himself  without  spot  to  God  and  stood  victorious  in-  the 
conflict  and  suffering  of  the  cross;  it  was  through  the 
Spirit  that  He  overcame  the  power  of  Satan,  not  only  in 
the  wilderness,  but  in  the  final  conflict;  it  was  through 
the  Spirit  tliat  He  presented  His  perfect  sacrifice  at  the 
throne  of  His  Father,  and  it  was  througli  the  Spirit 
that  He  rose  from  the  dead  "declared  to  be  the  Son  of 

184 


THE  EPISTLES  OF  PAUL  TO  TIMOTHY 


185 


God  with  power,  aocording  to  the  Spirit  of  Holiness,  by 
the  resurrection  from  the  dead." 

And  then  the  Holy  Ghost  still  further  justified  His 
Llaim,  by  coming  down  as  He  had  promised,  and  taking 
up  the  work  that  He  had  begun,  and  bearing  witness 
to  the  ascended  Lord  in  the  ministry  of  the  apostles,  in 
tlie  organization  and  work  of  the  Church,  and  in  all  the 
miracles  of  grace  that  have  followed  through  the  Chris- 
tian age.  Jesus  is  justified  by  the  Spirit,  who  witnesses 
to  Him  as  the  Sou  of  God,  the  Saviour  of  the  world,  and 
the  faithful  and  true  Witness  in  all  His  promises  and 
claims. 

Wherever  the  Holy  Ghost  still  comes.  He  will  always 
be  found  witnessing  to  Jesus,  and  honoring  the  Son  of 
God. 

II.  T;  e  Holy  Ghost  in  relation  to  the  Holy  Scriptures. 
2.  Timothy  3 :  16,  *' All  Scripture  is  given  by  inspiration 
of  God,  and  is  profitable  for  doctrine,  for  reproof,  for 
correction,  for  instruction  in  righteousness ;  that  the  man 
of  God  may  be  perfect,  thoroughly  furnished  unto  all 
good  works." 

The  Holy  Ghost  is  here  presented  in  relation  to  the 
Word  of  God.  It)  is  His  own  word  and,  wherever  it 
comes.  He  witnesses  to  it  and  honors  it.  The  man  who 
knows  the  Holy  Ghost  best  will  know  his  Bible  best,  will 
love  it,  will  live  upon  it,  and  will  use  it  as  the  weapon  of 
his  work  and  warfare. 

The  expression  her*"  used  literally  means  "God- 
breathed,"  "every  Scripture  God-breathed  is  profitable 
for  doctrine,  for  reproof,  for  correction,  for  instruction 
in  righteousness."  The  Holy  Scriptures  are  the  breath 
of  God.  Just  as  He  breathed  into  man  the  breath  of 
life,  and  man  became  a  living  soul,  so  He  has  breathed 
into  the  Word  His  own  life,  and  it  is  the  expression  of 
His  thought.  His  mind,  and  His  heart.  Just  as  you 
breathe  upon  the  window-pane,  and  the  vapor  clouds  it, 
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thought  and  heart  are  there,  not  as  dead  letters,  but  as 
the  living  message  of  His  love. 

We  recognize  this  holy  book  as  the  very  Word  of  God. 
It  is  not  a  volume  of  valuable  historical  records,  ethical 
principles,  and  sublime  poetry ;  but  it  is  a  direct  message 
from  heaven  speaking  to  man  with  the  authority  of  His 
Lord ;  as  we  so  receive  it,  believe  it,  and  put  our  whole 
weight  upon  it ;  it  becomes  real,  and  the  Holy  Ghost  wit- 
nesses by  its  actual  effect  upon  our  hearts  and  lives  that 
it  is,  indeed,  the  true  word  of  the  eternal  God. 

Then  it  becomes  profitable  to  us ;  in  the  first  place,  for 
teaching,  giving  us  true  views  of  God's  will  and  of  the 
things  we  most  need  to  know;  next,  for  conviction,  as 
the  world  literally  means,  for  reaching  the  conscience, 
and  showing  us  where  we  are  wrong.  Then  it  necomes 
tlie  word  of  correction,  or  direction,  not  only  showing 
us  the  wrong  and  making  us  conscious  of  it,  but  showing 
us  the  right  and  how  to  enter  into  it.  And,  finally,  it 
is  the  word  of  ''instruction  in  righteousness,"  building 
us  up,  as  the  word  literally  means,  and  carrying  us  on 
into  the  maturity  of  Christian  manhood.  Thus  the  man 
of  God  becomes  mature  in  his  own  experience,  and 
thoroughly  furnished  unto  all  good  works,  for  the  help 
of  others  and  the  service  of  His  Master. 

The  man  of  God  must  live  by  the  Word  of  God,  and  the 
Holy  Ghost  never  will  pass  by  or  lightly  esteem  the  Word 
that  He  has  given.  There  are  two  extremes.  The  word 
without  the  Spirit  is  dry  and  dead,  but  the  Spirit  with- 
out the  word  is  incomplete.  Let  us  honor  the  Holy 
Scriptures ;  let  us  study  them ;  let  us  habitually  use  them, 
search  them,  feed  upon  them,  incorporate  thera  into  our 
lives,  and  use  them  as  the  weapon  of  our  warfare  against 
Satan,  and  for  the  souls  of  men. 

III.  The  Holy  Spirit's  message  for  our  own  times. 

All  this  Word  is  the  Spirit's  message,  but  He  has  given 
some  messages  in  these  epistles  explicitly  for  our  own 
times.    And  so  we  read,  1  Timothy,  4 : 1,  **Now  the  Spirit 


THE  EPISTLES  OF  PAUL.  TO  TIMOTHY 


187 


speaketh  expressly,  that  in  the  latter  times  some  shall 
depart  from  the  faith,  giving  head  to  seducing  spirits, 
and  doctrines  of  demons." 

This  is  more  elaborated  in  the  second  epistle,  third 
chapter,  the  first  to  the  fifth  verses.  ''This  know  also, 
that  in  the  last  days  perilous  times  shall  come,  for  men 
shall  be  lovers  of  their  own  selves,  .  .  .  having  a  form  of 
godliness,  but  denying  the  power  thereof. ' ' 

When  we  want  to  print  a  passage  with  peculiar  em- 
phasis we  underline  it,  and  our  printer  sets  it  up  in 
italics.  When  we  want  to  emphasize  it  a  little  more,  we 
put  two  or  three  lines  under  it  and  then  he  sets  it  up, 
not  in  italics,  but  in  capital  letters,  and  sometimes  in 
large  capitals. 

Now  this  is  the  way  the  Holy  Ghost  has  written  these 
verses.  It  is  His  emphatic,  italicized,  double  capital- 
lettered  message  to  the  men  of  today,  to  the  closing  days 
of  the  nineteenth  century  and  the  first  moments  of  the 
twentieth  century.  ' '  He  speaketh  expressly. "  It  is  His 
message  to  us,  and  it  is  His  emphatic  message  that  we  do 
well  to  hear. 

It  is  not  a  sentimental  and  rose-colored  message,  glow- 
ing with  poetry  and  compiacency ;  it  is  a  solemn  warning 
of  danger  and  holy  fear.  It  speaks  in  no  ambiguous 
tones.  Its  voice  is,  ''Take  heed,"  "Look  out,"  "Be- 
ware." It  tells  us  not  of  days  of  universal  liberty  and 
Christian  influence;  it  speaks  not  in  the  eloquent  lan- 
guage of  our  modern  apostles  of  progress,  recounting  the 
spread  of  the  Gospel,  the  inei'ease  of  the  professors  of 
Christianity  and  the  advent  of  the  speedy  Millennium 
of  our  age ;  but  it  tells  us  that,  as  the  days  hasten  to  their 
close,  they  shall  get  darker  and  more  dangerous  still; 
not  glorious  times,  but  "perilous  times";  times  of  se- 
ducing spirits;  times  of  strong  delusion  that  would 
believe  a  lie;  times  when  the  light  within  us  shall  be  dark- 
ness ;  times  when  the  most  dangerous  elements  will  be  in 
the  very  Church  of  God,  and  on  the  part  of  those  who 


188 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


M     i; 


.,  .')' 


have  *'a  form  of  godliness,  but  deny  the  power  thereof"; 
times  when  the  men  that  seem  to  be  the  most  upright, 
the  most  self-denying,  ''abstaining  from  meats,  and  for- 
bidding to  marry, ' '  and  apparently  the  very  impersona- 
tions of  self-sacrifice  and  the  highest  morality,  shall  be 
the  very  leaders  of  Satanic  delusion  and  monstrous  in- 
iquity. 

These  times  are  upon  us  already.  The  vista  is  open- 
ing; the  century  is  closing  with  lurid  clouds  on  every 
side.  Was  there  ever  a  spectacle  so  humbling  and  so 
heart-breaking  as  the  heavens  are  looking  upon  today? 
Thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  of  helpless  Christians 
butchered  like  cattle  in  the  shambles,  and  outraged  by 
brutal  lust,  at  the  bidding  of  a  sovereign  ruler  of  Europe, 
and  with  the  tacit  consent  of  six  great  powers  who  control 
ten  millions  of  soldiers !  All  this  going  on  for  weeks  and 
months  and  years,  under  the  light  of  heaven  and  the  eyes 
of  diplomacy,  and  men  threatening  to  go  to  war  about 
every  trifle,  and  not  a  sword  raised,  nor  a  protest 
uttered,  against  these  outrages  and  butcheries!  Surely, 
human  government  is  an  utter  failure.  Surely,  the  best 
of  our  kingdoms  and  kings  are  as  the  potter's  clay. 
Surely,  weakness  and  wickedness  have  joined  hands. 
Surely,  God  is  showing  the  utter  incapacity  of  man  to 
rule  this  earth,  and  the  utter  need  of  the  coming  of  the 
Prince  of  Peace  and  the  mighty  King,  who  shall  judge 
the  people  with  righteousness  and  tlie  poor  with  judg- 
ment. He  shall  judge  the  poor  of  the  people,  and  save 
the  children  of  the  needy,  and  break  in  pieces  the  op- 
pressor. He  shall  deliver  the  needy  when  he  crieth,  the 
poor  also,  and  him  that  hath  no  helper.  He  shall  spare 
the  poor  and  needy,  and  save  the  souls  of  the  needy. 
He  shall  redeem  their  souls  from  deceit  and  violence,  and 
precious  shall  their  blood  be  in  His  sight. 

Oh,  for  that  blessed  King  to  come !  The  whole  creation 
groans,  the  persecuted  Armenian  cries,  and  the  saints 
under  the  altar  plead,  *'How  long,  oh  Lord,  how  long? 


It 


THE  EPISTLES  OF  PAUL  TO  TIMOTHY 


189 


The  Spirit  speakcth  expressly  that  these  things  are  to 
be  so,  and  the  very  fact  tliat  they  are  becoming  so  is  light 
even  in  the  darkness,  and  the  first  streak  of  dawn  in  the 
black  sea  of  night. 

Thank  God  the  morning  is  at  hand.  Let  us  listen  to 
the  Spirit's  voice,  let  us  watch  and  pray  and  be  ever 
ready. 

IV.  The  Holy  Spirit  as  the  Christian 's  enduement  for 
life  and  service.  2.  Tim.  1:6,  7,  *'\V\  ^fore  I  put  thee 
in  remembrance  that  thou  stir  up  the  gi  .1  of  God,  that  is 
in  thee  by  the  putting  on  of  my  hands.  For  God  hath 
not  given  us  the  spirit  of  fear ;  but  of  power,  and  of  love, 
and  of  a  sound  mind." 

Here  we  have,  first,  a  distinct  recognition  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  definitely  given.  God  hath  given  the  Spirit  not  of 
fear,  but  of  power,  etc. 

The  tense  employed  here  in  the  Greek  is  always  em- 
phatic ;  it  is  the  aorist  tense,  and  it  expresses  an  act  that 
has  been  definitely  done  at  a  fixed  moment  in  the  past. 
It  is  not  a  progressive  experience;  it  is  not  a  gradual 
approach  to  something,  but  it  is  something  done,  and 
done  at  once,  and  done  once  for  all.  In  this  sense  the  Spirit 
is  given.  It  is  the  crisis  hour  in  the  life  of  the  believer, 
when  the  Holy  Ghost  is  thus  received  as  the  enduement 
for  life  and  power  in  all  our  spiritual  need,  and  accord- 
ing to  all  the  fullness  of  the  Master's  promise. 

Beloved,  have  you  thus  definitely  received  the  gift  and 
the  promise  of  the  Father!  Many  promises  you  have 
claimed,  but  has  the  promise  been  thus  made  real  to  you  t 
What  reason  can  you  give  that  it  is  not  so?  Oh,  do  not 
let  another  hour  pass  until  at  His  feet  you  definitely 
surrender  yourself,  and  receive  Him  according  to  His 
Word ! 

But  again,  we  notice  that  even  after  receiving  the 
Holy  Ghost  there  is  much  for  the  believer  to  do.  And 
so  Timothy  is  entreated  and  reminded  to  stir  up  the  gift 


I  i 


190 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


of  God,  which  is  in  him.  The  word  here  used  is  a  meta- 
phor, and  describes  the  rekindling  of  a  sinking  fire.  The 
flame  of  divine  life  and  power  is  declining,  or,  at  least, 
it  is  undeveloped  and  incomplete,  and  it  is  to  be  revived, 
rekindled,  and  stirred  up. 

Now  the  Holy  Ghost  when  given  to  us  is  a  divine  in- 
vestment for  us  to  improve,  and  as  we  use,  develop  and 
improve  it,  it  multiplies  in  our  hands.  It  is  the  pound 
in  the  parable,  which  may  be  increased  to  ten  pounds. 
It  is  the  pot  of  oil  in  the  widow's  story  which  may  be 
poured  out  into  all  the  vessels  of  the  house  and  all  the 
vessels  of  the  neighborhood,  and  increased  as  it  is  used. 
It  is  the  water  in  Cana's  vessels  which  may  be  emptied 
into  the  vessels  and  poured  out  to  the  guests  until  it  be- 
comes wine,  abundance  of  wine,  enough  for  all  the  needs 
of  the  occasion. 

The  Holy  Ghost  may  thus  be  stirred  up  and  developed 
or  He  may  be  neglected  and  left  to  decline  and  languish, 
until,  instead  of  being  God's  mighty  dynamo,  and  all 
sufficient  power.  He  becomes  but  a  protest  against  our 
unfaithfulness  and  our  negligence. 

Beloved,  let  us  stir  up  the  gift  of  God  that  is  in  us. 
Let  us  take  away  the  ashes  from  the  declining  fire.  Let  us 
put  on  the  coal  and  the  fuel  of  living  truth.  Let  us  set 
on  the  draught  by  prayer,  and  let  it  burn  until  it  warms 
the  household  of  Christ  and  becomes  a  light  and  a  bene- 
diction to  a  perishing  world.  And,  as  we  stir  up  the  gift 
of  God  that  is  in  us,  it  becomes  to  us  the  Spirit  of  power, 
of  love,  of  courage,  and  of  a  sound  mind.  And  so  we 
have  the  fourfold  fullness  of  the  Holy  Ghost  represented 
in  these  strong  words. 

First,  He  is  not  the  Spirit  of  fear,  which  is  just  another 
way  of  saying  that  He  is  the  Spirit  of  courage.  We  must 
have  courage  to  begin  with,  or  we  shall  never  be  able  to 
press  on  to  any  of  His  other  gifts.  We  must  have  cour- 
age to  deny  ourselves  and  suffer,  to  say  "No"  to  our 
wills  and  our  craving  self-indulgence,  and  to  let  go  every- 


THE  EPISTLES  OF  PAUL  TO  TIMOTHY 


191 


thing  that  hinders  HJs  highest  will  and  our  highest 
blassing. 

We  must  have  courage  to  believe  what  God  says,  and 
to  confess  that  we  believe;  and  we  must  have  courage 
to  go  forward  and  obey  His  bidding  and  enter  into  all 
His  fullness. 

Secondly,  He  is  the  Spirit  of  power.  Courage  with- 
out power  would  but  throw  our  lives  away.  Courage 
combined  with  power  will  make  us  invincible.  The 
Greek  word  for  power  is  dynamite.  He  is  the  dynamite 
that  accomplishes  results,  and  breaks  down  all  barriers 
and  all  hindrances. 

Beloved,  have  you  this  power?  Is  your  life  telling? 
Are  your  purposes  accomplished?  Are  your  prayers 
effectual?  Are  your  lives  victorious,  or  are  you  bafifled 
and  thrown  back  by  waves  on  every  shore  and  by  every 
billow  or  opposing  rock?  God  hath  given  us  the  Spirit 
of  power.  Stir  it  up.  It  is  not  your  power:  it  is  the 
Spirit  of  power.  It  is  the  indwelling  Holy  Ghost.  The 
mighty  cable  is  running  beneath  your  street ;  attach  your 
car  to  it,  and  it  will  carry  any  weight  that  you  place 
upon  it.  Power  is  there,  anyhow,  and  if  you  do  not  use 
it  it  only  runs  to  waste. 

Thirdly,  He  is  the  Spirit  of  love.  Courage  without 
power  is  ineffectual  frenzy,  and  courage  and  power  with- 
out love  would  be  despotic  and  monstrous  cruelty.  It 
needs  love  to  give  beneficence  to  the  power  and  direct 
it  for  the  good  of  others.  So  the  Holy  Ghost  gives  us 
the  Spirit  of  love,  which  turns  all  our  purposes  and  all 
our  accomplishments  into  benedictions.  It  is  not  our  love. 
We  come  to  the  place  continually  where  we  cannot  love, 
but  it  is  His  love.  It  is  Almighty  love ;  it  is  love  to  the 
unlovely  and  distasteful;  it  is  the  love  w^hich  in  Him 
forgave  His  enemies  and  prayed  for  His  murderers. 

But  there  is  yet  another  element  needed  in  this  four- 
fold enduement.  We  need  the  Spirit  of  wisdom,  the 
Spirit  of  a  sound  mind,  or,  as  some  have  translated  it, 


m 


192 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


«.p,  I. 


the  Spirit  of  discipline.  This  is  the  Spirit  that  holds  all 
our  powers  in  equilibriuui,  keeps  us  in  i)ert'eet  balance, 
and  enables  us  to  turn  all  I'orces,  all  resources  and  all 
opportunities  to  the  best  account. 

Mere  power  and  courage  without  wisdom  might  throw 
themselves  away,  and  even  love,  without  a  sound  mind, 
might  become  a  misguided  sentiment,  and  at  last  defeat 
its  own  purpose.  And  so  the  Holy  Ghost  is  the  Spirlc  of 
practical  wisdom,  restraining,  directing,  and  controlling 
all  our  thoughts  and  purposes  and  actions,  so  that  we 
shall  accomplish  the  highest  and  best  results. 

Now  this  is  not  our  wisdom.  It  is  not  common  sense. 
It  is  not  a  sound  judgment  and  a  level  head,  as  men 
speak.  But  it  is  the  indwelling  Holy  Ghost,  training  us, 
and  disciplining  us,  restraining  us,  and  educating  us  to 
understand  His  thought,  to  follow  His  leadings,  and  'o 
walk  in  His  will. 

It  is  sometimes  different  from  the  counsels  of  human 
wisdom;  but  it  is  always  safe,  alwaj^s  best  to  obey  God. 
The  wisdom  of  Paul  and  Silas  would  have  led  them  to 
stay  in  Ephesus,  Bythinia,  and  Asia;  but  the  wisdom  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  sent  them  into  Greece  and  Europe,  for 
God  forsaw  what  it  meant  to  evangelize  that  great  con- 
tinent of  the  future.  The  wisdom  of  the  flesh  would 
have  held  back  alm.ost  every  bold  enterprise  of  faith  and 
courage  which  the  Church  of  God  has  ever  made;  but 
the  wisdom  of  God  was  justified  in  His  children,  as  they 
went  forward  at  her  bidding,  and  were  strong  in  God's 
command. 

The  Holy  Ghost  is  equal  to  all  our  situations.  Let  us 
trust  Him.  Let  us  obey  Him.  Let  us  follow  His  "wise 
and  holy  training,  and  He  will  lead  us  in  a  safe  way 
wherein  we  shall  not  stumble. 

Now  the  essence  of  this  enduement  consists  in  the  pro- 
portion of  all  its  parts.  It  is  not  courage  alone,  nor  love 
alone,  nor  wisdom  alone,  nor  power  alone.  Mere  wisdom 
would  make  us  hard  and  cold,  but  wisdom  set  on  fire  with 


THE  EPISTLES  OF  TAUL  TO  TIMOTHY 


193 


love  and  energized  by  power  will  enable  us  to  bless  the 
world. 

The  lion  is  the  emblem  of  courage ;  the  ox  is  the  symbol 
of  strength ;  the  man  is  the  emblem  of  love ;  and  the  eagle 
with  her  soaring  vision  is  the  type  of  wisdom,  all  blended 
in  the  one  Spirit  of  courage  and  love  and  of  a  sound 
mind. 

With  such  a  divine  provision,  beloved,  why  should  we 
be  afraid  ?  Why  should  we  be  feeble  ?  Why  should  we  be 
harsh,  or  tried  ?  Why  should  we  be  foolish  or  fail  ?  Let 
us  stir  up  the  gift  of  God  which  is  in  us,  and  put  on  the 
strength,  the  life,  the  might  of  the  Holy  One,  and  go 
forth,  insufficient  in  ourselves  but  all-sufficient  in  His 
boundless  grace. 

V.  Finally,  we  have  the  Holy  Ghost  represented  here 
as  the  power  Who  will  enable  us  to  keep  our  sacred  trust. 
2.  Timothy  1 :  14,  * '  That  good  thing  wliich  was  com- 
mitted to  thee  keep  by  the  Holy  Ghost  which  dwelleth 
in  us." 

The  words,  ''good  thing  committed  to  thee,"  are  the 
same  as  the  apostle  uses  in  the  previous  verse,  where  he 
speaks  of  that  which  "I  have  committed  unto  him." 
Literally,  it  means,  my  deposit.  There  are  two  deposits; 
there  is  one  deposit  which  we  have  put  in  the  keeping 
of  Christ,  and  we  know  He  is  able  to  keep  it;  it  is  our 
precious  soul ;  it  is  our  eternal  future ;  it  is  the  momen- 
tous interests  of  our  life  beyond. 

But  He  has  also  given  a  deposit  to  us.  God  has  in- 
vested a  trust  in  us  that  is  as  dear  to  Ilim  as  the  trust 
that  we  have  committed  to  His  keeping — it  is  His  glory ; 
it  is  His  testimony;  it  is  His  kingdom  on  earth,  "the 
good  thing  which  was  committed  to  us."  Oh,  shall  we 
keep  it,  and  hand  it  back  untarnished  and  glorious  and 
approved  when  we  shall  meet  Him? 

Thank  God,  the  Holy  Ghost  is  given  us  to  enable  us 
to  keep  it — "that  good  thing  which  was  committed  to 
thee  keep  by  thq  Holy  Ghost  which  dwelleth  in  us." 
13 


4 


jglBF^S 


Si:  i 

'i   .  ■ 


194 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


Not  only  does  He  take  care  of  His  end,  but  He  comes 
also  to  take  care  of  ours.  Jilessed  Frienrl,  Blessed  Helper 
Blessed  Substitute,  Blessed  All-Sufficient  One,  we  receive 
Thee  J  we  lean  upon  Thee;  we  commit  to  Thee  Thy  trusts 
to  us,  as  well  as  our  trusts  to  Thee;  and  in  Thy  wis- 
dom and  in  Thy  might  and  in  Thy  love,  and  in  thy  Al- 
mightiness,  we  go  forth  to  finish  the  work  committed  to 
us,  to  watch  and  work  for  our  Lord's  appearing!  Amen. 


J  comes 
Helper, 
receive 
T  trusts 
ly  wis- 
thy  Al- 
tted  to 
Amen. 


CHAPTER  XX. 
REGENERATION  AND  RENEWAL. 

*'Ho  saved  us  by  the  washing  of  regeneration,  and  the  renew- 
ing of  the  Holy  Ghost;  which  he  shed  upon  us  abundantly 
through  Jesus   Christ   our   Saviour. ' ' — Titus  3:5,   6. 

THIS  passage  gives  us  a  grand  view  of  the  plan  of 
salvation.  First,  the  apostle  tells  us  of  our  former 
condition,  when  "we  were  sometimes  foolish,  dis- 
obedient, deceived,  serving  divers  lusts  and  pleasures, 
living  in  malice  and  envy,  hateful,  and  hating  one  an- 
other.*' 

Next,  he  tells  us  of  the  source  of  our  salvation.  Neg- 
atively, it  was  **not  by  works  of  righteousness  which  we 
have  done,"  but,  positively,  "it  was  according  to  His 
mercy  that  He  saved  us"  through  the  kindness  and  love 
of  God  our  Saviour. 

The  work  of  salvation  is  altogether  divine.  "Mercy 
shall  be  built  up  forever."  It  was  mercy  that  saved  us, 
and  it  is  mercy  that  keeps  us  saved.  We  shall  never  get 
beyond  the  divine  mercy.  A  poor  Indian,  once,  when 
asked  how  he  got  saved,  took  a  little  worm  and  put  it  on 
the  ground,  and  then  built  a  fire  of  dry  leaves  around 
it.  The  worm  caught  the  smell  of  the  fire  and  felt  its 
dangerous  heat,  and  began  to  flee,  but  only  met  another 
wall  of  fire  on  the  other  side,  and  so  went  from  side  to 
side  in  terror  and  despair ;  until  at  last,  finding  no  way 
of  escape,  it  gathered  itself  up  in  the  center  of  the 
circle  and  lay  there  helpless  and  dying.  Then  the 
Indian  stretched  out  his  hand,  picked  it  up  and  saved 
it.  "That  was  the  way,"  said  he,  "that  mercy  saved 
me."  It  is  according  to  His  mercy  that  He  has  saved 
us,  and  it  is  mercy  every  day  that  fulfills  in  us  all  the 
fullness  of  that  great  salvation. 

Then  He  tells  us  of  the  special  steps.  "By  the  wash- 
lit 


196 


POWER  FROM   ON  HIGH 


il 


■  I. 


91 


ing  of  regeneration,  and  renewing  of  the  Holy  Ghost; 
which  He  shed  in  ua  abundantly  through  Jesus  Christ 
our  Saviour;  that,  being  justified  by  His  grace,  we 
should  be  made  heirs  according  to  the  hope  of  eternal 
life." 

This  seventh  verse  docs  not  mean  that  justification 
follows  regeneration.  The  Greek  tense  implies  that  it 
precedes  it.  ** Having  been  justified  by  His  grace"  is 
the  true  force  of  the  tense.  God  takes  us  as  sinners  and 
justifies  us  through  His  grace  the  moment  we  believe, 
and  then  He  regenerates  us  and  gives  us  the  Holy  Ghost 
and  leads  us  forward  into  all  the  fullness  of  His  grace, 
and  on  to  the  blessed  hope  of  our  eternal  inheritance. 

We  have,  however,  only  to  deal  in  this  connection, 
with  two  steps  in  this  scale,  *'the  washing  of  regenera- 
tion and  the  renewing  of  the  Holy  Ghost." 


REGENERATION. 

This  literally  means  "the  laver  of  regeneration." 
The  Greek  word  reaHy  refers  to  the  laver  in  the  ancient 
tabernacle.  You  know  that  in  the  court  of  God 's  ancient 
sanctuary  there  were  two  objects  of  deep  interest.  The 
first  was  the  altar  of  burnt  offering  where  the  sinner 
came  and,  transferring  his  guilt  to  the  sacrifice,  re- 
ceived atonement  through  the  blood;  the  next  was  the 
laver,  or  fountain  of  water,  where  he  saw  his  defilement 
in  its  mirrored  sides,  and  then  cleansed  them  in  its 
flowing  stream.  The  first  represented  the  blood  -  of 
Christ;  the  second  represented  the  Holy  Spirit  in  His 
regenerating  work.  This  court  was  open  to  all  the  peo- 
ple. It  represented  the  free,  full  provision  of  the  gospel 
for  the  sinner,  the  justifying,  redeeming  work  of  Jesus, 
and  the  regenerating  grace  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

And  so  the  laver  of  regeneration  represents  the  pri- 
mary work  of  the  divine  Spirit  in  quickening  the  soul 


REGENERATION  AND  RENEWAL 


197 


>> 


that  is  dead  i^  ain,  and  brinp^inf?  it  into  the  life  of  God. 
The  Bible  is  full  of  this.  The  sinner  is  constantly  rep- 
resented as  dead  in  trcspasst's  and  sins.  It  is  not  merely 
a  matter  of  light.  It  is  not  enough  for  him  to  form  good 
resolutions  and  accomplish  moral  reformations.  It  is 
life  he  needs.  And,  therefore,  we  read,  **If  any  man  be 
in  Christ,  he  is  a  new  creation ;  old  things  liave  passed 
away;  behold,  all  things  have  become  new."  Therefore, 
the  Lord  Jesus  saj^s  to  Nicodemus,  ''Except  a  man  be 
born  again,  he  cannot  enter  the  kingdom  of  God." 
Therefore,  the  prophet  Ezekiel  saya  of  the  coming  sal- 
vation, "I  will  take  away  the  hard  and  stony  heart  out 
of  your  liesh,  and  I  will  give  you  a  heart  of  flesh.  A 
new  heart  will  I  put  within  you,  and  a  right  spirit  will 
I  give  unto  you. ' '  This  is  the  laver  of  regeneration,  this 
is  the  indispensable  work  of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  conver- 
sion. 

Last  night  I  knelt  beside  a  dying  bed.  It  was  a  dear 
lad  who  had  for  months  been  dying,  but  had  no  one  to 
lead  him  to  the  Saviour.  That  day  a  dear  friend  had  for 
the  first  time  told  liim  of  Jesus  and  tried  to  lead  him 
through  the  narrow  gate. 

As  I  knelt  by  his  side,  with  his  weak  brain,  aiid 
sinking  body,  I  felt  how  impossil)le  it  was  for  me  to 
make  him  understand  his  need  in  this  change. 

He  had  never  done  anything  very  wrong,  and  he  had 
no  deep  sense  of  outward  sin,  but  God  helped  me  to  show 
to  him  that  ''that  which  is  born  of  the  flesh  is  flesh" 
and  that  his  natural  heart  could  not  enter  the  family  of 
heaven  any  more  than  the  little  kitten  upon  the  hearth, 
or  th(  canary  in  the  cage,  could  be  a  member  of  my 
family  or  enter  into  my  sympathies,  joys,  and  con- 
ceptions. 

Then,  as  his  heart  felt  iiis  need  of  this  great  change, 
it  wp'^'  easy  to  lead  him  to  Jesus  and  to  oflter  him  the 
free  gift  of  eternal  life  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord, 
and  to  tell  him  that  he  could  take  it  in  a  moment  as  the 


,n 


.1 


198 


POWER  FPOM  ON  HIOII 


I 


"■it 


gift  of  God's  great  love.  Then  it  was  that  the  blessed 
Holy  Ghost  name  to  our  relief,  and  showed  His  almighty 
new-creating  power. 

Never  shall  I  forget  the  strange  SM'eet  flash  of  eternal 
light  that  shone  across  his  countenance  for  a  moment,  as 
ha  accepted  that  gift  and  with  all  his  heart  said,  **I 
will,'*  and  then  threw  his  head  upon  my  breast  and  his 
arms  about  my  neck,  and  for  a  long  time  lay  there,  while 
I  prayed,  and  he  entered  into  the  bosom  of  everlasting 
love. 

When  I  left  him,  all  was  peace  and  the  sweetness  of 
heaven;  and  in  the  early  morJng  he  passed  through 
the  gates  into  the  city,  and  those  that  were  by  his  side 
told  us  how,  just  before  he  passed  through,  God  gave  to 
him  a  vision  of  the  opening  heavens  and  the  chariot  tliat 
was  to  bear  him  home;  and  the  dear  family,  who  knew 
not  God  and  scarcely  understood  those  wondrous  things, 
tvere  unspeakably  touched  with  the  message  of  divine 
grace  that  had  come  to  him,  and  through  him  to  them, 
from  the  gates  ajar. 

This  is  the  laver  of  regeneration.  0  precious  friends, 
you  cannot  enter  heaven  without  this  new  heart!  You 
cannot  see  the  Kingdom  of  Gcd  without  this  divine  life 
You  cannot  come  into  it  withe  ut  this  divine  touch.  Yon 
cannot  bring  it  to  yourself.  You  cannot  work  it  up  In 
struggling  and  by  effort.  Thank  God,  there  is  a  better 
way.  "As  many  as  received  Him,  to  them  gave  He 
pov/er  to  become  the  sons  of  God,  even  to  them  that  be- 
lieve on  His  name;  which  were  born  not  of  the  flesh,  nor 
of  the  will  of  man,  but  of  God." 

0,  sinner,  come  to  the  laver  of  regeneration!  Let 
your  hard  and  stony  heart  bow  at  the  feet  of  Jesus. 
Receive  Him ;  come  to  Him  with  all  your  hardness  and 
helplessness,  with  all  your  lack  of  faith  and  feeling; 
and  He  will  take  away  the  stony  heart,  and  give  you  a 
heart  of  flesh.    He  will  plunge  you  in  the  laver  of  regen- 


REGENERATION  AND  RENEWAL 


199 


Let 


i 


eration,  and  then  lead  you  on  into  all  the  fullness  of 
His  grace  and  glory. 

n. 

THE    RENZWINQ    OP   THE    HOLY   GHOST. 

After  we  have  received  the  new  life  it  needs  to  be 
sustained;  it  needs  to  be  cherished,  matured,  built  up, 
and  led  on  into  all  the  fullness  of  Christ.  This  is  the 
work  of  the  same  blessed  Mother  God  that  brought  us 
first  into  life.  This  is  what  is  meant  by  the  renewing 
of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

1.  First,  it  suggests  the  daily  dependence  of  our  life. 
We  are  not  supplied  in  a  moment  for  a  lifetime.  "We 
have  no  store  of  grace  for  tomorrow.  The  manna  must 
fall  each  day  afresh ;  the  life  must  be  inhaled  breath  by 
breath ;  we  must  feed  upon  the  living  bread  day  by  day. 
It  is  not  at  our  command,  but  all  derived  *rom  Him. 

We  must  abide  in  Him,  and  He  in  us,  ''for  apart  from 
Him  we  can  do  nothing."  Our  store  of  grace  is  not  a 
great  reservoir,  but  just  a  little  water  pipe  carrying 
enough  for  the  moment  and  ever  passing  on.  And  so 
we  must  learn  to  live  in  constant  communion  with  Jesus 
and  constant  fellowship  with  the  Holy  Ghost. 

He  is  only  too  glad  to  have  our  fellowship.  He  does 
not  weary  of  our  oft  returning.  He  longs  to  have  us 
come  to  Him  and  keep  coming  again  and  yet  again, 
and  "He  is  able  to  save  to  the  uttermost,"  or  rather, 
forevermore,  "all  that  keep  coming  unto  God  by  Him, 
seeing  He  ever  liveth  to  make  intercession  for  them." 

2.  The  language  implies  our  spiritual  freshness.  We 
cannot  live  on  old  food  and  stale  bread;  but  God's  sup- 
ply for  us  is  perpetually  fresh  and  new.  "I  will  be 
as  the  dew  unto  Israel"  is  His  own  blessed  figure.  It 
does  rot  rain  always,  but  the  dew  comes  every  night 
and  sparkles  very  morning  upon  the  flower  and  the 
leaf.  It  comes  gently,  quietly,  not  in  the  nish  of  the 
tempest,  to  wash  out  the  tender  plant,  in  the  supply 


200 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


1 
i 


which  refreshes  without  disturbing.  And  then  it  comes 
in  the  hottest  weather  and  the  most  trying  times.  In- 
deed, the  dew  does  not  fall,  but  rises;  it  is  always  in 
the  air  and  is  absorbed  by  the  plant  just  as  its  condi- 
tion is  fitted  to  take  the  moisture  that  is  always  floating 
in  the  atmosphere.  The  Holy  Ghost  is  always  within 
reach,  if  we  are  in  condition  to  receive  and  absorb  Him. 
Oh,  let  us  drink  in  the  dew  of  Ilis  grace  and  live  in  the 
renewing  of  the  Holy  Ghost ! 

What  a  beautiful  figure  of  this  was  given  in  the  rod  of 
Aaron,  which,  when  placed  within  the  holy  sanctuary, 
budded,  and  blossomed,  and  bare  fruit.  So  the  rod  of 
faith,  and  prayer,  and  holy  priesthood,  and  communion, 
bears  fresh  buds,  blossoms,  and  ripe  fruit,  continually. 

Still  more  beautiful  was  the  figure  of  the  water  that 
flowed  through  the  desert  for  the  supply  of  Israel's 
thirst.  Once  it  was  struck  at  Iloreb  and  opened  its 
bosom  for  the  flowing  stream,  but  ever  after  that  the 
river  was  there  to  supply  their  needs.  And  so,  when  they 
thirsted  again,  God  sent  them  back  and  bade  Moses  not 
to  strike  the  rock,  but  ** speak,"  said  He,  *'to  the 
rock,  and  it  shall  give  forth  its  waters."  Moses  made 
the  mistake  of  striking  it,  but  the  waters  were  there  and 
flowed  all  the  same,  and  God's  faithful  grace  was  still 
supplied. 

And  yet  again,  when  they  came  into  the  boundless 
desert,  there  was  nothing  but  the  fiery  sand  beneath 
tliem  and  the  burning  sun  above  them.  But  again  the 
water  was  there.  All  they  had  to  do  was  to  gather  in  a 
circle,  and  dig  with  their  spades  a  well  in  the  desfert, 
and  then  gather  around  it  and  sing  their  song  of  faith 
and  praise;  and  lo,  the  waters  gushed  forth,  and  their 
need  was  all  supplied. 

This  is  the  renewing  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Thus  He 
supplies  our  daily  needs.  Thus  He  waits  to  meet  the 
cry  of  faith.  Thus  He  loves  to  answer  the  song  of  praise, 
and  flow  through  all  our  being  with  His  glad  and  full 


REGENERATION  AND  RENEWAL 


201 


t  comes 
cs.  In- 
-vays  in 
i  eondi- 
floating 
within 
'b  Him. 
3  in  the 

5  rod  of 
ctuary, 

rod  of 
Qunion, 
lually. 
er  that 
Israel 's 
aed  its 
lat  the 

n  they 
ses  not 
to  the 
made 
re  and 
as  still 

mdless 
eneath 
lin  the 
r  in  a 
desfert, 
f  faith 
I  their 

us  He 
et  the 
praise, 
d  full 


( 


supply,  until  *Hhe  wilderness  and  the  solitary  place  shall 
rejoice,  the  desert  (of  life)  shall  blossom  as  the  rose." 

This  is  whai  the  Apostle  Peter  meant  when  he  spoke 
of  the  "times  of  refreshing  that  should  come  from  the 
presence  of  the  Lord,"  before  **the  times  of  the  resti- 
tution of  all  things,"  which  Christ's  advent  shall  bring. 
We  are  in  *'the  times  of  refreshing,"  and  we  are  waiting 
for  the  times  of  restitution.  Oh,  let  us  take  the  blessing ! 
Oh,  let  us  claim  the  fullness !  Let  us  receive  the  renew- 
ing of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Let  us  enter  into  the  mighty 
promise,  *VT  will  make  you  and  the  places  round  about 
you  a  blessing;  and  I  will  cause  the  shower  to  come 
down  in  his  season ;  there  shall  be  showers  of  blessing. ' ' 

3.  There  is  one  more  thought  suggested  by  this  expres- 
sion. The  Greek  word  here  used  is  employed  once  only 
besides  in  the  New  Testament.  "We  find  it  in  that  re- 
markable passage  in  the  twelfth  chapter  of  Romans, 
where  the  apostle  says,  "Be  not  conformed  to  this  world, 
but  be  ye  transformed  by  the  renewing  of  your  mind. ' ' 

It  is  well  known  that  the  expression  there  should  be 
translated,  "Be  ye  transfigured  by  the  upward  renewing 
of  your  mind."  It  is  the  same  word  as  here  used  for 
"renewing,"  and  it  is  connected  there  with  the  figure  of 
transfiguration. 

The  thought  of  the  apostle  here  is  that  the  Holy 
Ghost  is  leading  us  on  to  our  transfiguration.  It  is  not 
merely  grace,  but  glory,  that  He  wants  to  bring  us  into. 
It  is  not  enough  to  be  regenerated,  we  want  also  to  bo 
glorified.  It  is  not  enough  to  go  to  the  laver  of  regen- 
eration. Let  us  enter  in  through  the  door,  and  then  go 
in  and  out  and  find  pasture.  Let  us  pass  in  to  the  golden 
lamps  of  the  Lord.  Let  us  feed  upon  the  table  of  shew- 
bread  with  its  sweet  frankincense.  Let  us  breathe  the 
odors  of  the  incense  that  fill  the  sanctuary.  Let  us 
have  "boldness  to  enter  into  the  Holiest  by  a  new  and 
living  way;"  and  there,  in  the  light  of  God's  Shekirali 
presence,  there,  under  the  wings  of  the  cherubim,  there. 


^^^w 
t 


\ 


202 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


in  the  innermost  presence  of  God,  let  us  anticipate  the 
glory  of  the  life  bejond,  and  go  forth  with  its  radiance 
upon  our  brow  to  shed  its  blessing  upon  a  dark  and 
sorrowful  world. 

The  Holy  Ghost  wants  to  transfigure  our  lives  just 
as  truly  as  He  transfigured  Christ's.  Two  and  a  half 
years  of  that  blessed  life  of  ministry  had  passed.  He, 
too,  had  been  born  of  the  Spirit.  He,  too,  had  been  bap- 
tized in  Jordan 's  banks.  From  the  opening  heavens  the 
Holy  Dove  had  come  down  to  rest  upon  Him.  He  had 
gone  forth,  in  the  power  of  the  Spirit,  into  the  conflict 
with  Satan  in  the  wilderness,  and  the  service  of  love 
through  the  villages  of  Galilee. 

But  now  He  was  going  down  into  the  deep  valley  of 
Kedron,  into  the  shame  of  the  judgment  hall,  into  the 
dark,  sad  conflict  of  Gethsemane,  into  the  mystery  of 
the  cross,  into  the  awful  place  of  God 's  forsaking  for  the 
sins  of  men,  into  the  deep,  cold  grave.  And  He  needed 
more.  He  needed  the  glory  as  well  as  the  strength  of 
God.  And  so  He  went  up  to  Hebron's  height  that 
night,  and  was  clothed  upon  with  the  glory  of  His  prime- 
val throne,  and  His  Advent  reign;  and  then,  in  that 
glory  He  went  down  from  the  mountain  to  cast  out  the 
demoniac  at  its  foot,  to  triumph  over  persecution,  re- 
jection and  every  adversary,  to  endure  the  cross,  de- 
spiring  the  shame,  and  to  be  the  Conqueror  of  sin  and 
death. 

So  we  read  that,  after  this,  there  was  a  strange  ma- 
jesty in  His  mien,  **and  as  they  saw  Him,  they  were 
amazed,  and  as  they  followed,  they  were  afraid."  O, 
beloved,  we,  too,  are  entering  upon  strange  and  solemn 
times!  Dark  clouds  are  round  about  the  horizon,  lurid 
lightnings  are  flashing  from  the  sky;  solemn  mutter- 
ings  are  heard  upon  the  air;  there  are  signals  of  a 
crisis;  everything  is  troubled;  days  of  solemn  meaning 
are  drawing  nigh. 

We  need  more  than  we  have  had.     We  need  to  pass 


EEGENERATION   AND  RENEWAL 


203 


ipate  the 
radiance 
lark  and 

ives  just 

d  a  half 

ed.     He, 

een  bap- 

vens  the 

He  had 

conflict 

of  love 

alley  of 
into  the 
3tery  of 
for  the 
needed 
ngth  of 
ht   that 
5  prime- 
in  that 
out  the 
ion,  re- 
3SS,  de- 
sin  and 


from  grace  to  glory.  We  need  the  transfiguration  life 
as  well  as  He.  We  need  to  look  from  Hebron's  height 
above  the  valley  of  humiliation  and  suffering,  away  to 
the  sunlit  hills  of  the  Advent  glory.  Oh,  shall  we  be 
transfigured,  too?  And  then  shall  we  go  forth,  like 
Him,  to  triumph  over  Satan,  sin  and  death,  to  shed  the 
light  of  His  glory  around  us,  to  stand  unmoved  amid  the 
perils  and  convulsions  of  our  time,  to  meet  our  coming 
Lord,  proving  ''all  that  good,  and  acceptable,  and  per- 
fect will  of  God." 

Let  us  come  apart  with  Him  like  the  three  disciples  of 
old.  Let  us  rise  to  an  exceeding  high  mountain  apart. 
Let  us  not  fear  the  shadows  of  the  night,  and  the  cloud 
of  the  glory  as  we  enter  in;  and  we,  too,  shall  know 
something  of  the  meaning  of  His  mighty  promise,  "The 
glory  which  Thou  gavest  Me,  I  have  given  them,  that 
they  may  be  one,  even  as  We  are  One." 


ge  ma- 
y  were 
.'■  0, 
solemn 
I,  lurid 
nutter- 
8  of  a 
eaning 


I  i 


0  pass 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


;|lf  ' 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE 

HEBREWS. 

THERE  are  five  special  references  to  the  Holy  Ghost 
i 


in  this  epistle. 


I. 


il  ^ 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  RELATION  TO   CHRIST 's  DEATH. 

Hebrews  9 :  14.  *  *  How  much  more  shall  the  blood  of 
Christ,  who  through  the  Eternal  Spirit  offered  Himself 
without  spot  to  God,  purge  your  conscience  from  dead 
works  to  serve  the  living  God?" 

"We  have  seen  that  the  Holy  Ghost  was  connected 
with  the  whole  life  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Through 
His  overshadowing  He  was  born  the  incarnate  Son  of 
God.  Through  His  baptism  He  was  anointed  for  His 
special  work.  Through  His  leading  He  was  brought 
into  the  wilderness  to  be  tempted  of  the  devil,  and  then 
led  forth  in  victory.  He  anointed  Him  to  preach  the 
gospel.  He  cast  out  demons  through  the  Holy  Ghost. 
All  through  His  life  the  Spirit  was  in  partnership  with 
Him,  and  He  condescended  to  be  dependent  upon  Him 
for  divine  strength  and  grace  even  as  we  His  disciples. 

But  now  we  see  the  Holy  Ghost  in  the  last  hour  of 
His  life,  ministering  on  the  Cross  of  Calvary,  and  taking 
part  in  the  last  and  most  important  act  of  the  Master's 
whole  life.  "Through  the  Eternal  Spirit  He  offered 
Himself  without  spot  to  God."  The  blessed  Comforter 
was  with  Him  in  that  dark,  lone  hour.  He  strengthened 
Him  for  His  agony  in  Gethsemane,  and  upheld  Him 
so  that  He  could  not  die  before  His  time  nor  sink  under 
the  power  of  the  devil. 

He  sustained  Him  in  sweetness,  gentleness,  and  spot- 
less righteousness,  through  the  awful  ordeal  of  shame 

204 


I 


THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  HEBREWS 


205 


and  suffering,  in  the  judgment  hall  and  the  Roman 
prsetorium.  He  stood  with  Ilim  in  the  anguish  of  the 
cross,  when  all  others  forsook  Him,  and  when  even  His 
Father's  face  was  turned  away.  To  the  very  close  of 
that  great  sacriiBce,  the  Holy  Ghost  ministered,  suffered 
and  sustained,  and  then  presented  that  offered  life  be- 
fore the  throne  of  God,  as  a  perfect  and  spotless  sac- 
rifice for  sin,  and  a  sufficient  ransom  for  every  sinner's 
life. 

Blessed  Holy  Ghost,  how  much  we  owe  to  Him,  even 
for  the  Cross  of  Calvary,  and  the  great  Atonement! 

And  just  as  He  was  with  the  Master  in  His  crucifixion, 
so  will  He  be  with  the  disciple.  He  will  enable  us,  like- 
wise, to  die  to  self  and  sin.  It  is  only  through  the  Holy 
Ghost  that  we  can  be  truly  crucified.  "If  we  through 
the  Spirit  do  mortify  the  deeds  of  the  body,  we  shall 
live."  But  if  we  try  to  kill  ourselves,  we  shall  only 
be  like  poor  Nero,  who  stabbed  his  body  a  hundred  times, 
but  never  dared  to  stab  himself  to  death.  "Would  we 
die  with  Jesus  and  rise  into  all  the  fullness  of  His  end- 
less life?  Let  us  receive  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  let  Him 
love  us  into  death  and  life  eternal. 

Then,  if  even  these  mortal  lives  should  be  laid  down, 
before  the  coming  of  our  Lord,  the  same  blessed  Para- 
clete that  was  with  our  dying  Lord,  will  overshadow  our 
last  couch  of  pain,  and,  on  His  mighty  wings  of  love, 
will  bear  our  departing  soul  across  the  lonely  voyage,  to 
the  bosom  of  the  Father,  and  present  our  spirit  without 
spot  before  the  Throne  of  God.  Blessed  and  eternal 
Spirit,  our  Mother  God  and  Everlasting  Friend,  oh, 
how  much  we  owe  to  Thee! 


II. 

THE   HOLY    GHOST   AS    THE    WITNESS    OP    THE    NEW 


COVENANT. 

Hebrews  10:15.    **  Whereof  aU.    the  Holy  Ghost  is  a 
witness;  for  after  that  He  had  said  before.  This  is  the 


m 


206 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIQH 


i:-!; 


1     I  'i'; 

'i 


:i       ill 

1     It 


;i  '., 


■I!  ^ 


covenant  that  I  will  make  with  the  house  of  Israel,  after 
these  days,  saith  the  Lord,  I  will  put  my  laws  into  their 
hearts,  and  write  them  on  their  minds,  and  I  will  be  their 
God,  and  they  shall  be  my  people,  for  I  will  be  merciful 
to  their  unrighteousness,  and  their  sins  and  their  iniqui- 
ties will  I  remember  no  more." 

This  is  the  Gospel  revealed  by  the  Holy  Ghost  to  Jere- 
miah, in  the  dark  and  declining  days  of  ancient  Juda- 
ism, when,  through  the  broken  windows  of  the  earthly 
temple,  the  prophet's  vision  looked  to  the  light  of  a 
better  morning. 

This  ancient  covenant,  so  gloriouslj^  revealed  to  Jere- 
miah, is  three  times  repeated  in  the  Epistle  to  the 
Hebrews ;  and  it  must,  therefore,  be  entitled  to  the  great- 
est significance  and  v»^eight.  It  is,  indeed,  the  very 
essence  of  the  Gospel.  It  breathes  the  spirit  of  the  New 
Dispensatior. 

Under  the  old  economy  the  law  was  written  upon 
tables  of  stone.  Here  it  is  written  upon  our  minds  and 
upon  our  hearts.  Thus  it  is  made  a  part  of  our  very 
nature,  thought,  desire,  choice,  and  being.  It  is  the 
instinctive  and  spontaneous  impulse  of  our  very  life, 
and  it  is  as  natural  for  us  to  love  it  and  to  do  it,  as  to 
live  and  to  breathe. 

We  all  know  the  force  of  the  great  law  of  love.  How 
much  do  you  suppose  it  would  cost  for  that  father 
and  husband  to  hire  the  woman  who  nursee  his  children, 
and  takes  care  of  his  home?  What  amount  of  money 
could  purchase  her  toil  and  labor,  as  she  lives  by  his 
side,  shares  his  fortunes,  and  works  herself  to  death  for 
these  helpless  little  ones  ?  No  earthly  consideration  could 
induce  her  to  undertake  this  charge,  no  law  except  the 
law  of  force  could  make  her  such  a  slave.  Yet  there  is 
another  law,  the  law  of  love,  and  God  has  written  it 
upon  every  mother 's  heart ;  and  by  the  drawing  of  that 
sweet  law  of  love,  she  leaves  her  father's  house,  her 
luxurious    home,    her    comfortable    surroundings,    and 


THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  HEBREWS 


207 


How 
ather 
dren, 
loney 
his 
for 
ould 
the 
re  is 
3n  it 
that 
her 
and 


goes  forth  with  the  man  she  loves,  to  share  his  fate,  to 
toil  by  his  side,  to  nurture  his  childnni,  to  work  early 
and  late  for  these  lielpless  little  ones,  unwearied,  un- 
conscious of  any  sacrifice  and  only  too  {^lad  to  be  able 
to  pour  out  her  very  life  to  make  them  happy.  Ah! 
this  is  the  law  upon  the  heart!  This  is  the  way  the 
Spirit  of  God  puts  into  us  the  will  of  God  and  'nake  it 
our  choice  and  our  delight. 

Therefore,  the  Hol}^  Ghost  was  given  at  Pentecost  on 
the  exact  anniversary  of  the  giving  of  the  law.  Pente- 
cost and  Sinai  are  the  two  ordinances  in  the  calendar 
of  the  ages  that  correspond  with  each  other.  The  first 
was  the  law  written  upon  stone ;  the  second  was  the  law 
in  the  living  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  human  hearts 
and  lives. 

Beloved,  have  we  learned  this  secret  of  life  and  power  ? 
Do  we  know  the  divine  covenant,  the  indwelling  Spirit, 
and  'Hhe  law  of  the  Spirit  of  life  in  Christ  Jesus," 
making  us  "free  from  the  law  of  sin  and  death,"  and 
** fulfilling  the  righteousness  of  the  law"  not  only  b}'' 
us,  but  "in  us"? 

Then  it  is  added,  '  *  I  will  be  your  God,  and  ye  shall  be 
my  people."  We  do  not  become  His  people  lirst,  thus 
constituting  Him  our  God;  but  He  first  becomes  our 
God,  and  we  are  His  people.  The  mother  is  before  the 
babe,  and  it  is  her  motherhood  that  constitutes  its  child- 
hood. It  is  because  she  is  its  mother,  that  it  is  her  child. 
And  so  God  calls  us,  chooses  us,  saves  us,  fills  us,  and 
we  respond  to  His  love  and  become  His  willing,  obedient 
children. 

Then  our  sins  are  not  only  forgiven,  but  forgotten. 
We  are  lifted  above  every  cloud  of  condemnation,  and 
it  is  true  for  ever,  **  their  sins  and  their  iniquities  will 
I  remember  no  more." 

Beloved,  have  we  entered  into  this  New  Covenant  by 
the  Holy  Ghost,  and  are  we  walking  under  the  spon- 


208 


POWER  FROM  ON  IIIOII 


taneous  and   all-irapr,lling   impulses  of  the   indwelling 
Holy  Ghost? 

m. 

THE  HOLY  GHOST  IN  RELATION  TO  THE  SUPERNATURAL 
SIGNS  AND  OPERATIONS  OP  THE  GOSPEL. 

"God  also  bearing  them  witness,  both  with  signs  and 
wonders,  and  with  divers  miracles,  and  gifts  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  according  to  His  own  will. ' '    Heb.  2 :  4. 

The  apostle  gives  us  in  this  passage  a  vivid  picture 
of  the  preeminence  of  the  "great  salvation"  of  the 
Gospel  as  compared  with  the  law.  The  dispensation 
of  Moses  was  introduced  by  angels  and  by  men,  but 
the  Gospel  has  been  "spoken  to  us  by  the  Lord,"  and 
repeated  by  those  who  were  sent  directly  by  Him,  and 
then  confirmed  to  us  by  the  Holy  Ghost  Himself. 

The  passage  refers  not  only  to  the  signs  and  wonders 
of  the  early  chapters  of  Christianity,  but  to  the  super- 
natural power  which  God  has  promised  to  every  age 
and  stage  of  the  dispensation,  to  confirm  to  an  un- 
believing world  the  divine  reality  of  God's  great  mes- 
sage. The  Holy  Ghost  is  still  present  in  the  Church, 
and  is  still  giving  the  confirmatory  signs,  not  only  by 
His  miracles  of  grace  in  the  hearts  of  men,  but  by  His 
miracles  of  Providence  in  the  Church  and  in  the  world,, 
and  His  miracles  of  power  in  the  bodies  of  those  whc 
trust  Him. 

Beloved,  do  we  know  these  signs,  and  are  we  proving 
them  to  the  world?  Is  this  gospel  still  a  living  power, 
and  its  own  great  witness?  Who  is  there  among  us  that 
has  not  seen  enough  to  make  us  know  and  feel  that  it  is 
the  power  of  God?  "How  shall  we  escape  if  we  neglect 
so  great  salvation?" 


THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  HEBREWS 


209 


welling 


'URAL 

?ns  and 
of  the 
2:4. 

picture 
of  the 
jnsation 
len,  but 
i,"  and 
im,  and 
If. 

wonders 

3  super- 

ery  age 

an  un- 

at  mes- 

Church, 

only  by 

by  His 

world; 

oae  whc 

proving 
:  power, 

us  that 
lat  it  is 

neglect 


THE   HOLY   GHOST  IN   RELATION   TO   OUR   IMMEDIATE 
DECISION     FOR     GOD. 

"Wherefore,  as  the  Holy  Ghost  saith,  Today  if  ye 
will  hear  His  voice,  harden  not  your  hearts."  Heb. 
3 : 7,  8. 

This  is  always  the  Holy  Spirit's  message  to  men.  It 
is  always  a  present  message,  an  urgent  message,  and 
demands  an  immediate  decision.  Back  of  it.  He  is 
always  pointing  to  that  solemn  story  of  the  wilderness, 
when  God's  chosen  people  came  forth  from  bondage 
under  His  mighty  hand,  and  advanced  under  His 
glorious  leadership  to  the  very  gates  of  Canaan.  Then, 
in  one  fatal  moment,  they  faltered,  doubted,  disobeyed 
and  went  back  to  nearly  half  a  century  of  failure,  dis- 
appointment, and  a  dishonored  death.  Just  for  a 
single  day  they  stood  upon  that  narrow  isthmus,  and 
then  they  took  the  wrong  step,  and  lost  all  by  inde- 
cision. Oh,  how  sad,  how  desolate  these  wilderness 
years,  ever  moving  but  going  nowhere;  toiling,  suffer- 
ing, but  accomplishing  nothing,  simply  marking  time, 
waiting  for  the  sad  inevitable  hour  that  should  close 
their  disobedient  lives! 

Beloved,  there  are  still  such  lives,  there  are  men  and 
women  who  have  missed  their  opportunity.  They  have 
disobeyed  their  high  calling,  and  have  gone  back  from 
the  gates  of  promise.  They  are  simply  marking  time 
and  finishing  a  life  whose  one  sad  echo  will  be  forever, 
"Alas,  what  might  have  been!" 

This  is  true  of  the  sinner.  There  is  a  moment  when 
he  must  decide  or  perish.  The  Holy  Spirit's  message 
to  him  is  always,  "Today,  while  it  is  called  today," 
for  it  may  not  be  all  the  day;  it  may  be  a  golden 
moment  on  which  eternity  hangs,  "Today,  while  it  is 
called  today,  if  ye  will  hear  His  voice,  harden  not  your 
hearts." 
14 


210 


POWER  FROM  ON  IIIOH 


It  is  also  His  message  to  the  disciple,  for  each  of 
us  conies  up  to  th(!  j^ates  of  the  Land  of  Promise,  to 
the  point  of  a  great  deeision,  to  the  place  for  entire 
consecration,  to  the  Jordan's  bank  where  the  Holy 
Ghost  is  waiting  to  descend  upon  us  if  we  will  dare 
to  step  down  into  the  waters  of  death  and  self-dedication. 
And  there  comes  a  moment  when  there  is  no  time  to 
lose.  It  is  NOW  OR  NEVER.  Oh,  if  it  is  such  a  moment 
with  any  of  us  today,  beloved,  ''while  it  is  called  to- 
day, harden  not  your  hearts"! 

Yes,  and  even  after  we  have  received  the  Holy  Ghost 
there  are  crisis  hours  in  consecrated  lives.  There  are 
great  doors  of  service  offered;  there  are  great  openings 
for  higher  advances;  there  are  sacrifices  to  be  dared, 
advances  to  be  made,  promises  to  be  claimed,  victories 
to  be  won,  achievements  to  be  undertaken;  but  they 
will  not  wait  for  us.  Like  harvest  time,  they  are  pass- 
ing by,  and  the  Holy  Spirit's  message  to  us  is,  ''Re- 
deeming the  time  because  the  days  are  evil." 

It  is  not  merely  the  time,  it  is  the  point  of  time. 
ton  kairon,  tlie  very  niche  of  time.  We  have  not 
days  for  it,  but  only  moments.  The  days  are  evil,  the 
moment  is  golden;  let  us  seize  it  while  we  may.  God 
help  us,  beloved,  to  understand  that  message,  and  to 
let  that  blessed  Guide  and  Friend  lead  us  from  victory 
to  victory,  and  at  last  present  us  faultless  in  the  pres- 
ence    '  His  glory  with  exceeding  joy. 


V. 


I  M  P 


1 


i  * 


THE  HOLY  GHOST  IN      "  f^ATION  TO  THE  BACKSLTOER. 

There  are  two  very  solemn  passages  in  this  epistle  in 
relation  to  the  backslider. 

"For  it  is  impossible  for  those  who  were  once  en- 
lightened, and  have  tasted  of  the  heavenly  gift,  and 
were  made  partakers  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  have 
tasted  the  good  word  of  God,  and  the  powers  of  the 


THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  HEBREWS 


211 


time, 
le   not 

,  the 

God 
nd  to 
ictory 

pres- 


le  en- 

and 

have 

If  the 


world  to  come,  if  they  shall  fall  away,  to  renew  them 
to  repentenee;  seeing  th(;y  crueify  to  themselves  the 
Son  of  God  afresh,  and  put  Him  to  an  open  shame," 
Chapter  6:4-0. 

"Of  how  mueh  sorer  punishment,  suppose  ye,  shall 
he  be  thought  worthy,  who  hath  trodden  under  foot 
the  Son  of  God,  and  hath  counted  the  blood  of  the 
covenant,  wherewith  he  was  sanctified,  an  unlioly  thing, 
and  hath  done  despite  Unto  the  Spirit  of  g*race?" 
Chapter  10:29. 

Time  and  space  will  not  permit  us  to  enter  fully  on 
the  exposition  of  these  verses,  but  a  few  remarks  may 
throw  sufficient  light  upon  them  to  prevent  their  being 
a  stumbling-block  to  sincere  and  trembling  hearts. 

In  the  first  place,  it  is  quite  certain  from  other 
Scriptures,  that  there  is  mercy  and  forgiveness  for 
every  sinner  who  is  willing  to  accept  the  mercy  of 
God  through  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Again  and  again, 
the  infinite  mercy  of  God  to  the  penitent  sinner  has 
been  repeated  and  re-asserted,  until  no  sincere  penitent 
need  ever  doubt  his  welcome  at  the  throne  of  grace. 
"All  manner  of  sin  and  of  blasphemy,"  our  Saviour 
has  said,  "shall  be  forgiven  unto  men." 

In  the  next  place,  the  sin  of  the  persons  referred  to 
here  is  no  ordinary  sin.  It  is  not  a  mere  fall,  but  it  is 
"falling  away,"  and  falling  away  so  utterly  that  the 
backslider  wholly  rejects  the  very  blood  of  Christ 
through  which  he  might  be  forgiven,  and  throws  away 
the  only  sacrifice  and  hope  of  mercy.  He  crucifies  to 
himself  the  Son  of  God  afresh ;  ho  puts  Him  to  an  open 
shame;  he  tramples  upon  His  blood,  and  he  defies  and 
does  despite  unto  the  Spirit  of  grace. 

The  difficulty  of  his  salvation  arises  not  from  any 
limitation  of  God's  mercy,  but  from  the  fact  that  he 
utterly  rejects  God's  mercy,  and  the  only  way  by  which 
it  could  be  manifested  through  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

In  the  third  place,  the  case  supposed  is  not  neces- 


212 


POWER  FROM  ON  ITTOTI 


^i:. 


If 


'(;■ 


sarily  an  actual  case.  It  may  be  of  the  nature  of  a 
warninp:  and  a  supposition,  and  the  very  warninpc  is 
piven  ill  order  to  prevent  it  from  becoming  a  fact.  The 
mother  cries  to  her  child,  "Come  back  from  the  edge  of 
the  precipice  or  you  will  be  killed,"'  but  tliis  does  not 
imply  that  the  child  is  to  be  Idlled.  It  is  the  very  means 
by  which  it  is  saved  from  death.  God's  warnings  are 
not  prophecies,  but  they  are  His  loving  way  of  keeping 
hack  that  which  otherwise  would  happen.  And  so  the 
apostle  adds,  "we  are  persuaded  better  things  of  you, 
and  things  that  accompany  salvation,  though  we  thus 
speak." 

Finally,  in  the  Revised  Version  there  is  a  little  word 
of  comfort  and  hv.pe  in  the  sixth  verse.  Instead  of 
"seeing  they  crucify  to  themselves"  the  translation  is, 
"so  long  as  they  crucify  to  themselves  the  Son  of  God 
afresh."  It  implies  that  in  a,  certain  spiritual  condition 
they  cannot  be  saved  nor  forgiven,  but  it  also  implies 
that  so  soon  as  they  abandon  that  condition,  and  become 
penitent  and  accept  the  blood  of  Christ,  the  mercy  of 
God  is  still  free  and  full. 

There  is,  therefore,  no  reason  to  infer  from  these 
very  sqlemn  warnings  that  any  penitent  soul  need 
despair  of  being  forgiven.  At  the  same  time,  the  warn- 
ing is  so  solemn  that  we  would  not  for  one  moment 
weaken  its  tremendous  force.  For  we  never  can  tell, 
when  we  begin  to  go  back  or  even  look  back,  where  we 
are  going  to  stop.  That  which  seems  but  a  trifling  fall 
may  become  a  "falling  away,"  and  may  end  in  the 
rejection  of  Christ  and  the  defiance  of  God  Our  safety 
lies  in  heeding  the  solemn  warning,  "The  just  shall  live 
by  faith,  but  if  any  man  draw  back.  My  soul  shall  have 
no  pleasure  in  him.  But  we  are  not  of  them  who  draw 
back  unto  perdition,  but  of  them  that  believe  unto  the 
saving  of  the  soul." 

The  story  is  told  of  a  man  who  advertised  for  a 
coachman.    Among  those  who  came  were  two  who  seemed 


of  a 

ins  is 
The 

Ige  or 
es  not 
means 
c:s  are 
sepinj? 
so  the 

f  you, 
B  thus 

;  word 
3ad  of 
ion  is, 
)f  God 
idition 
implies 
Decome 
rcy  of 

these 
need 
warn- 
loment 
n  tell, 
ere  we 
\^  fall 
in  the 
safety 
ill  live 
il  have 
draw 
to  the 

for  a 
bemed 


THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  HEBREWS 


213 


to  him  to  be  particularly  bright.  He  took  them  aside 
and  asked  them  how  near  they  could  drive  to  the  edge 
of  a  precipice  v/ithout  falling  over.  The  first  candidate 
answered  that  he  could  go  within  half  an  inch  and  had 
frequently  done  so,  just  shaving  the  edge  and  feeling 
perfectly  safe.  He  then  asked  the  other  the  same  ques- 
tion. "Well,  sir,"  replied  the  man  modestly,  **I  really 
cannot  tell,  because  I  ha"''e  never  allowed  myself  to 
venture  near  the  edge  of  a  precipice.  I  have  always 
made  it  a  rule  to  keep  as  far  as  possible  from  danger, 
and  I  have  had  my  reward  in  knowing  that  my  master 
and  his  family  were  kept  from  danger  and  liarm. ' ' 

The  master  had  no  difficulty  in  deciding  between  the 
two  candidates.  "You  are  the  man  for  me,"  he  said, 
**thc  other  may  be  very  brilliant,  but  you  are  safe." 

Ah,  friends,  let  us  not  play  with  danger,  trifle  with 
sin,  nor  venture  so  close  to  the  edge  of  the  lake  of  fire 
that  we  may  not  be  able  to  return!  The  Holy  Ghost, 
as  our  loving,  jealous  Mother,  is  guarding  us  from  harm 
by  these  very  warnings.  Like  the  Pilgrims  in  the  Palace 
Beautiful,  who  went  on  their  way  saying,  as  they  had 
looked  at  the  wonderful  visions  of  the  palace,  "These 
things;  make  us  both  hope  and  fear,"  so,  in  a  wise  and 
holy  fear  as  well  as  a  bright  and  blessed  hope,  lies  tlie 
balance  of  safety  and  the  place  of  wisdom.  Thus  walk- 
ing in  His  love  and  fear,  may  wo  be  kept  by  the  Holy 
Ghost  until  that  glad  hour  when  we,  through  the  eternal 
Spirit,  too,  shall  offer  ourselves,  without  spot,  to  God. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 
GOD'S  JEALOUS  LOVE. 


II 


The  Spirit  that  dwelleth  in  us  lusteth  to  envy. ' ' — James  4 :  5. 


1: 


'Ml  :"■ 

til  •' 


IN  the  marginal  reading  of  the  Revised  Version,  we 
find  this  verse  translated :  '  *  The  Spirit  that  He  hath 
made  to  dwell  in  us  yearneth  over  us  unto  envy." 
A  still  more  happy  rendering  is,  ''The  Holy  Spirit,  that 
dwelleth  in  us,  loveth  us  to  jealousy." 

This  is  a  little  gem  in  a  mass  of  rocks,  a  little  flower 
in  a  wilderness,  a  little  bit  of  poetry  and  sacred  senti- 
ment embosomed  in  the  great  epistle  of  common  sense. 
One  would  almost  as  readily  expect  to  see  a  rose  in  a 
wilderness  or  a  blossom  on  a  glacier,  as  to  find  this 
exquisite  little  bit  of  sentiment  in  the  epistle  of  the  most 
practical  of  all  the  apostles. 

For  James  has  really  struck  the  keynote  of  the  entire 
system  of  revelation.  This  is  the  golden  thread  that 
runs  through  the  whole  Bible,  from  the  bridal  of  Eve  to 
th«  Marriage  of  the  Lamb.  The  love  life  of  the  Lord, — 
this  is  the  romance  of  the  Bible,  and  the  golden  chain  of 
Revelation. 

The  story  of  Rebekah  is  a  kind  of  idyl,  setting  forth 
the  whc^e  idea  in  her  romantic  wooing  and  wedding. 
Just  as  Abraham  sent  his  trusted  servant  to  bring  a 
bride  for  Isaac,  and  just  as  old  Eliezer  faithfully  dis- 
charged that  trust,  finding,  wooing,  and  then  bringing 
home  the  beautiful  Rebekah,  and  at  last  presenting  her 
to  the  arms  of  Isaac,  waiting  for  her  in  the  eventide; 
so  the  Holy  Ghost  has  been  sent  by  the  Father  to  call 
from  this  sinful  world  a  Bride  for  His  beloved  Son,  and, 
having  called  her,  to  bring  her  home,  to  educate  her,  to 
robe  her,  and  gradually  to  fjrepare  her  for  her  glorious 
meeting  with  her  Lord,  in  that  sublime  event  which  is 

214 


GOD'S  JEALOUS  LOVE 


215 


3s  4:  5. 

>n,  we 
B  hath 

t,  that 

flower 
senti- 
sense. 
e  in  a 
d  this 
e  most 

entire 
d  that 
Eve  to 

ord, — 
lain  of 

forth 
dding. 
ring  a 
ly  dis- 
inging 
ng  her 
[^ntide ; 
to  call 
n,  and, 
her,  to 
lorious 
hich  Ib 


to  be  the  consummation  of  the  age — the  Marriage  of  the 
Lamb. 

Now,  the  Holy  Spirit  is  represented  in  this  passage 
as  loving  us  to  jealousy,  and  holding  us  sacredly  to  our 
blessed  Bridegroom  and  Lord.  In  the  context  we  read 
about  the  friendship  of  the  world  and  the  sin  of  adultery. 
The  true  reading  of  this  passage,  **Ye  adulterers  and 
adulteresses,"  is  simply,  "ye  adulteresses."  It  is 
wholly  in  the  feminine  gender.  He  is  not  speaking  about 
the  earthly  marriage  bond,  but  about  the  fidelity  of 
the  Bride  of  the  Lamb  to  her  heavenly  Lord.  The 
Church  is  represented  throughout  the  Scriptures  as 
a  wife,  and  the  sin  of  unfaithfulness  to  Christ  as 
spiritual  adultery.  Therefore,  it  is  the  adulteress  that 
is  mentioned  here,  and  she  is  asked  in  the  most  solemn 
manner,  ''Know  ye  not  that  the  friendship  of  the  world 
is  enmity  with  God?  Whosoever,  therefore,  will  be  the 
friend  of  the  world  is  the  enemy  of  God." 

Compromise  with  the  world  is  unfaithfulness  to 
Christ  and  adultery  in  Plis  sight.  It  is  in  this  con- 
nection that  our  text  is  introduced.  ''The  Spirit  that 
dwelleth  in  us  lovetli  us  to  jealousy."  He  is  constantly 
guarding  our  loyalty  of  heart  and  our  single  and  un- 
qualified devotion  to  Christ  alone. 

Now,  the  Spirit  which  is  given  to  each  of  us  is  holding 
us  true  to  Christ.  He  first  wins  and  woos  us  to  Christ 
and  then  holds  us  true  to  Him,  and  leads  us  on  until  we 
shall  be  prepared  to  meet  Him  at  His  glorious  coming. 

This  figure  could  be  much  better  understood  in  eastern 
countries  and  ancient  times  than  now.  Almost  ever}'- 
Oriental  marriage  has  a  go-between,  a  friend  of  the 
bridegroom  and  the  bride,  who  arranges  the  prelim- 
inaries, and  brings  the  parties  together,  just  as  Eliezer 
brought  Rebekah  to  Isaac.  This  is  the  high  mission  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  and  in  its  discharge  He  is  so  true  to 
Christ  that  the  least  spot  upon  our  holy  character,  the 
least  compromise  in  our  allegiance  and  devotion  awakens 


i!'^: 


■I  ^1 


i-i  ■! 


li  :• 


216 


POWER  FROM   ON  HIGH 


n; 


in  His  heart  a  holy  jealousy.  He  has  devoted  Himself 
to  bringing  about  our  union  with  Jesus,  and  to  fitting 
us  for  it  in  the  highest  possible  measure. 

This  is  the  purpose  of  all  His  dealings  with  us,  this  is 
the  meaning  of  all  the  discipline  of  our  life,  to  call  us 
to  Christ,  and  then  qualify  us  for  our  high  calling,  as 
the  Bride  of  the  Lamb. 

I. 

First,  He  seeks  and  finds  us,  and  brings  us  to  Jesus 
in  conversion.  He  sees  in  us  those  qualities  which  God 
created  for  Himself,  and  which  Satan  is  prostituting  for 
our  shame  and  ruin,  and  He  sets  His  heart  on  winning 
us  for  our  heavenly  Lord. 

This  will  explain  the  fact  that  must  often  have  oc- 
curred to  many  of  us,  that  God  revealed  Himself  to  us 
in  mercy  many  a  time  before  we  knew  Him  as  a 
Saviour,  and  a  Father,  and  answered  many  of  our 
prayers  when  we  really  had  no  claim  upon  His  promise. 
He  was  wooing  us  to  His  love.  He  was  trying  to  make 
us  understand  that  He  was  seeking  us.  He  was  pre- 
senting to  us  the  jewels  of  Isaac  that  we  might  be  drawn 
from  the  gifts  to  the  Giver  and  led  to  listen  to  His 
overtures  of  grace.  He  was  treating  us  in  advance  as 
His  friends  and  His  children.  He  was  leaping  over 
the  intervening  years  of  sin  and  unbelief,  and  antici- 
pating the  hour  when  we  should  love  Him,  and  weep 
with  bitter  sorrow  that  we  did  not  sooner  understand 
and  accept  His  love  to  us. 

0,  beloved,  He  is  calling  some  of  you  now!  He  is 
longing  for  you  with  a  jealous  love.  You  belong  to 
Him  by  God's  eternal  purpose,  you  will  some  day  love 
Him  and  live  for  Him  with  all  your  heart,  and  then 
you  would  give  the  world  to  be  able  to  undo  the  years 
of  your  present  sin  and  folly.  Oh,  let  Him  reach  your 
licarts ;  let  Him  win  your  affections ;  let  Him  draw  you 
to  His  bosom  and  make  you  His  beloved ! 


GOD'S  JEALOUS  LOVE 


217 


n. 

But  secondly,  even  after  we  come  to  know  Him  as  a 
Saviour,  He  is  pressing  us  forward  to  a  deeper  union 
and  a  closer  fellowship.  We  have  come  to  Him  for 
refuge  from  judgment,  and  from  guilt;  we  have  ac- 
cepted Him  as  a  Deliverer  from  condemnation  and  from 
fear;  we  Jiave  fled  for  refuge^  like  the  little  bird 
pressed  by  the  storm  upon  the  deck  of  the  passing 
steamer;  but  He  wants  us  closer;  He  wants  us  to  put 
away  our  doubts  and  fears,  and  to  enter  into  His  con- 
fidence and  fellowship.  And  so  the  Holy  Ghost  is  loving 
us  into  the  life  of  entire  union  with  Jesus  and  unre- 
served consecration  to  Him. 

Thousands  of  Christians  know  Him  only  as  a  shelter 
between  them  and  their  guilt  and  danger;  He  wants  to 
take  them  into  the  innermost  chambers  of  His  heart 
and  make  them  partakers  of  His  deepest  love.  And 
so  the  Holy  Spirit  is  wooing  the  children  of  God,  and 
drawing  them  to  the  very  bosom  of  Jesus.  He  is  saying 
to  them  "Hearken,  Oh  daughter,  and  consider,  forget 
thy  kindred  and  thy  father's  house;  so  shall  the  King 
greatly  desire  thy  beauty:  for  He  is  thy  Lord,  and 
worship  thou  Him." 

He  wants  us  to  turn  away  from  every  earthly  idol, 
and  give  Him  our  whole  heart,  that  He  may  give  us 
His  in  return,  and  make  us  the  partakers  and  the  heirs 
of  all  His  riches  and  His  glory.  This  is  what  consecra- 
tion means.  This  is  what  the  baptism  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  is.  In  this  His  jealous  love  is  calling  some,  even 
as  they  read  these  lines. 

m. 

But  even  when  we  thus  yield  ourselves  to  Christ  in 
full  consecration  and  receive  Him  by  the  Holy  Ghost 
as  an  indwelling  Saviour  and  the  Ishi  of  our  heart,  we 
have  only  begun  Rebekah's  homeward  journey,  and  the 
Holy  Ghost,  like  Eliezer,  has  to  lead  us  on  through  all 


rw 


218 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


^1 


I 


S: 


the  way,  educating  and  preparing  us  for  our  meeting 
with  our  Lord. 

And  al.  through  this  life  of  discipline  and  experience, 
He  is  still  loving  us  with  a  ceaseless  and  tireless  devo- 
tion, and  pressing  us  forward  with  jealous  solicitude 
into  God's  highest  and  best  will.  And  so  He  becomes 
our  Sanctifier.  He  is  preparing  our  wedding  gar- 
ments and  fitting  them  to  us,  so  that  the  King's  daugh- 
ter shall  be  ''all  glorious  within."  ''She  shall  be 
brought  unto  the  king  in  raiment  of  needlework."  She 
shall  be  robed  not  only  in  garments  white,  but  garments 
bright,  the  wedding  robes  of  the  Marriage  of  the  Lamb. 

When  we  receive  Christ  as  our  Sanctifier,  there  is  a 
sense  in  which  we  are  wholly  sanctified  from  the  be- 
ginning. We  have  accepted  all  the  will  of  God,  and 
God  counts  us  fully  obedient.  Our  will  is  utterly  sur- 
rendered and  His  will  is  our  unqualified  choice.  But 
oh,  how  much  there  is  for  us  yet  to  learn,  how  much 
more  light,  how  much  more  realization,  how  all  these 
things  have  to  be  wrought  into  the  very  fibre  of  our 
being!  As  that  young  lady  takes  the  pattern  of  em- 
broidery that  has  been  stamped  in  its  minutest  details 
upon  the  fabric,  in  one  sense  she  has  the  whole  pattern 
from  the  beginning.  But  now  she  goes  to  work  with 
Worsted,  and  silk,  and  threads  of  gold,  and  puts  in 
many  a  stitch,  with  patient,  delicate  needle.  She  works 
into  that  pattern  every  tint  and  color  and  costly  ma- 
terial, until  it  is  not  only  a  stamped  pattern  on  the 
canvas  or  the  silk,  but  a  beautifully  inwrought  figure 
with  every  tint  of  the  rainbow,  and  with  ail  the  brilliant 
sheen  of  satin  and  silk,  and  silver  and  gold,  and  per- 
haps with  precious  pearls  skilfully  wrought  into  the 
lowing  design.  So  the  Holy  Ghost  stamps  the  image 
of  Christ  upon  us  from  the  beginning;  He  then  goes 
to  work  to  burn  it  in  and  work  it  in,  until  our  clothing 
shall  be  of  wrought  gold  and  finest  needlework.  So  He 
is  loving  us  to  jealousy  in  His  deeper  work  of  sanctifying 


GOD'S  JEALOUS  LOVE 


219 


grace,  sensitive  to  every  spot,  guarding  against  every 
slip  and  failure,  and  aught  that  could  mar  the  fullness 
and  perfection  of  God's  great  purpose  of  grace  within 
us. 

Some  day  we  shall  thank  Him  for  His  love,  when 
we  stand  with  the  glorious  Bride  of  the  Lamb,  presented 
faultless  before  the  presence  of  God  with  exceeding  joy, 
while  the  wondering  universe  shall  come  to  see  the 
Bride,  the  Lamb's  Wife,  with  robes  more  radiant  than 
all  the  gems  of  earth  and  colors  more  glorious  than  a 
thousand  rainbows  or  a  thousand  suns. 

No  thoughtful  mind  can  fail  to  appreciate  the  im- 
portance and  the  reality  of  this  deeper  work  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.  It  is  one  thing  to  have  love,  but  it  is  an- 
other to  have  the  love  that  suffereth  long  and  is  kind; 
that  never  faileth ;  that  is  not  provoked.  It  is  one  thing 
to  have  patience,  but  it  is  another  to  **let  patience  have 
her  perfect  work  that  we  may  be  perfect  and  entire, 
wanting  nothing."  It  is  one  thing  to  have  forbearance 
and  long  suffering,  but  it  is  another  thing  to  be 
''strengthened  with  might  unto  all  patience  and  long 
suffering  with  joyfulness."  It  is  one  thing  to  have  the 
things  that  are  just  and  right,  but  it  is  another  thing  to 
have  the  ''things  that  are  lovely  and  of  good  report," 
not  only  the  useful  and  the  necessary,  but  the  beautiful 
and  the  decorative  qualities  of  Christian  life.  It  is  one 
thing  to  have  the  graces  of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  form;  it 
is  another  to  have  them  in  maturity.  It  is  one  thing  to 
have  the  grapes  of  June  or  July;  it  is  quite  another 
to  have  the  mellow  purple  fruit  of  September  or  Oc- 
tober, ripe  and  ready  for  the  vintage. 

We  have  seen  the  Holy  Ghost  thus  leading  on  a 
soul,  here  adding  a  touch,  there  subtracting  an  excess, 
there  deepening  a  line,  there  ripening  and  mellowing 
a  quality.  Silently,  gradually,  day  by  day  and  moment 
by  moment,  we  have  seen  the  picture  growing  more  com- 
plete, more  symmetrical,  more  deep,  and  full  of  strange 


r, 


w 


220 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


indescribable  expression,  until  at  last  we  felt  somehow 
that  the  work  had  been  wrought  into  the  depths  of  life, 
and  that  the  soul  was  ripe  and  read^  for  the  Master's 
coming. 

IV. 

Along  with  this  work  of  sanctification,  there  is  als© 
a  work  of  separation,  and  crucifixion.  That  anything 
may  grow,  something  must  die.  He  is  separating  us 
from  the  influences  of  the  alien  world,  and  the  thousand 
forces  that  could  distract  or  counteract  His  gracious 
purpose.  It  is  here  that  His  jealous  love  is  most  mani- 
fest. It  is  here  that  He  has  often  to  break  our  idols, 
and  sever  the  cords  that  bind  us,  which  would  weaken 
our  character,  or  hinder  our  highest  growth.  But  the 
deeper  and  higher  we  are  to  grow,  the  narrower  must 
our  range  of  earthly  sympathy  become.  And  so  He 
has  not  only  to  separate  from  sin,  and  from  the  ungodly 
and  unholy  world,  but  to  separate  us  from  a  thousand 
things  that  touch  the  life  of  self,  and  that  enter  in  as 
hindrances  between  us  and  our  Lord's  highest  purpose. 

We  may  not  see  it  ourselves,  but  He  sees  it,  and 
He  loves  us  too  well  to  let  it  hurt  us.  It  may  be  some 
dear  friend ;  it  may  be  some  innocent  and  what  we  regard 
as  an  absolutely  holy  affection.  But  He  may  see  that 
that  love,  or  that  friend  is  taking  His  place,  and  instead 
of  becoming  an  attachment  to  the  Head,  it  becomes  a 
barrier  between  us  and  our  living  Head.  Instead  of  a 
fruit-bearing  branch  it  becomes  a  parasite,  drawing 
away  our  life,  or  a  prop  on  which  we  lean  instead  ot 
rooting  more  strongly  in  Him,  and  so  He  gently  de- 
taches us  from  it. 

It  may  be  that  our  ambition,  or  our  literary  taste,  or 
our  fondness  for  some  artistic  delight,  our  beautiful 
home,  our  refined  friendships,  our  higher  pursuits  in  the 
lines  of  aesthetic  taste,  are  absorbing  much  of  the  strength 
of  our  life  and  making  Him  and  His  work  less-     And 


.■I    !■■■: 


GOD'S  JEALOUS  LOVE 


221 


so  the  flashlight  falls  upon  this,  and  the  surgeon 's  probe 
detects  it,  and  the  deep  cathode  ray  goes  through  the 
very  flesh  and  bone,  till  it  reaches  the  very  intents  of  the 
heart,  and  brings  to  light  the  hidden  danger;  then  He 
tests  our  loyalty  and  love  and  calls  upon  us  to  sur- 
render it  to  Him. 

Yes,  it  may  be  even  our  Christian  work  that  is  ab- 
sorbing our  affection  and  enthusiasm  and  leaving  Him 
out.  It  may  be  for  an  idea  or  an  ambition  that  we  are 
working,  rather  than  for  our  Lord,  and  so  His  jealous 
love  sometimes  must  destroy  the  vision  that  He  may 
save  His  child.  We  are  reminded  of  the  apprentice 
boy,  w^ho  saw  his  master  gazing  intently  at  the  beautiful 
fresco  that  he  had  just  completed  upon  the  ceiling,  and 
gradually  stepping  backwards  to  admire  it,  until  he  was 
on  the  very  edge  of  the  scaffold  and  another  movement 
would  have  dashed  him  to  the  pavement  below.  Sud- 
denly the  faithful  apprentice  dashed  forward,  seized 
the  painter's  brush  and  dashed  it  over  the  beautiful 
fresco,  daubing  it,  and  destroying  it  with  one  ruthless 
blow. 

The  master  sprang  forward  with  a  ary  of  agony, 
but  in  a  moment  he  stopped  and  looked  at  the  pale, 
trembling  boy,  pointing  with  his  finger  backward  to 
the  scaffold  where  he  had  stood,  and  then  he  understood 
it  all.  He  took  the  boy  into  his  arms  and  in  a  paroxysm 
of  tears  he  embraced  him,  and  thanked  him  that  he  had 
spoiled  his  work  and  saved  his  life. 

So  the  blessed  Holy  Ghost  has  marred  the  vision  of 
our  past,  and  has  desolated  the  hopes  of  our  future 
that  He  might  save  us  for  something  better.  Let  us 
trust  Him  to  the  end ;  let  us  let  Him  love  us  as  much  as 
He  wants  to;  let  us  never  doubt  His  faithful  will,  or 
question  the  commandments  which  are  "for  our  good 
alway." 


222 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


V. 

The  jealous  love  of  the  Holy  Ghost  is  also  educating 
us,  and  seeking  to  enlarge  our  vision  and  our  thought, 
so  that  He  can  better  fit  us  to  be  the  eternal  companion 
of  our  glorious  Bridegroom.  He  is  trying  to  make  us 
understand  the  majesty  of  His  purpose,  and  to  bring 
us  into  partnership  with  Him  in  His  glorious  plans  to 
save  the  world,  and  in  the  ages  to  come,  to  lead  out  His 
redeemed  ones  into  the  highest  and  grandest  services  for 
the  universe.  His  heart  is  often  grieved  and  disap- 
pointed, to  find  us  so  narrow,  so  self-bound,  so  unable 
to  enter  into  His  glorious  purposes,  and  His  eternal 
designs. 

There  is  a  sad  story  told  of  a  young  couple  who 
became  betrothed  in  early  life.  Afterward  the  young 
man  went  to  college,  and  acquired  a  liberal  education, 
and  then  went  abroad  and  travelled  for  years  in  a  for- 
eign country,  finishing  his  studies  and  widening  his 
views  of  life  and  men.  All  the  while  they  kept  up  their 
correspondence  and  their  engagement,  and  at  last  one 
day  he  came  back  to  meet  his  beloved  and  claim  her  as 
his  bride.  But,  alas,  he  found  that  while  he  had  grown, 
she  had  remained  stationary.  He  loved  her  still,  and 
her  whole  life  was  bound  up  in  him.  But  she  was  not 
able  to  understand  him;  she  was  not  able  to  enter  into 
his  higher  thoughts  and  plans,  and  she  was  not  able  to 
be  the  companion  of  his  magnificent  mind.  He  wedded 
her,  but  more  and  more,  from  day  to  day,  he  saw  that 
the  breach  was  widening.  Her  horizon  was  no  wider 
than  her  neighbor's  fence  and  her  neighbor's  farmj 
her  world  was  scarcely  bigger  than  the  kitten  on  the 
hearth,  the  lambs  that  gamboled  in  the  field,  and  the 
milk-pan  and  kitchen  range. 

He  never  told  her,  and  she  scarcely  understood  the 
shadow  that  had  fallen  upon  his  life,  but,  day  by  day,  he 
pined  and  wasted  away,  until  at  last  he  died  of  a  broken 
heart. 


GOD'S  JEALOUS  LOVE 


223 


Ah,  friends,  our  beloved  Bridegroom  with  Ilia  {glorious 
mind,  Ilis  sweeping  vision  of  the  universe  and  His 
mighty  purpose,  not  only  to  redeem  this  world,  but  to 
glorify  Ilis  Father's  name  in  every  star  and  consteUation 
of  yonder  space  through  His  redeemed  ones  by  and  by, 
must  often  be  grieved  to  find  us  so  slow  to  understand 
Him ! 

You  sit  down  in  your  comer  grocery  to  make  a  petty 
fortune ;  you  work  away  at  your  farm  in  order  to  make 
a  scant  living  and  some  day  have  a  farm  for  your  boys, 
and  you  pet  absorbed  in  your  little  circle,  and  perhaps 
your  little  bit  of  a  church.  You  never  think  of  the  great 
world  that  is  waiting  to  be  saved,  the  millions  that  have 
never  heard  of  Jesus,  or  the  high  purpose  of  His  heart 
to  make  you,  with  Him,  the  queen  not  only  of  the 
millennial  years  but  of  the  whole  redeemed  universe. 
Let  us  rise  to  meet  His  thought ;  let  us  get  out  beyond 
our  self-bound,  earth-bound  life,  and  enter  into  His  x^lan 
for  the  world,  and  speed  His  glorious  coming,  and  His 
mighty  purpose  for  all  mankind. 


And  so  again,  the  Holy  Ghost  is  leading  us  out,  and 
developing  our  faith  and  thus  preparing  us  for  the 
higher  life  of  the  world  beyond.  For  faith  is  just  the 
wings  by  which  we  are  some  day  to  sweep  across  the 
abyss  and  soar  amid  the  heights  of  the  ages  to  come. 
Even  after  we  receive  the  Holy  Ghost  we  are  content 
to  move  on  in  small  planes  and  small  circles,  and  we  do 
not  want  to  be  disturbed  or  pushed  out  to  harder, 
higher  things;  therefore,  the  Holy  Ghost  has  to  come 
and  just  compel  us  by  His  love  to  develop  into  spiritual 
strength  and  energy  of  which  we  thought  ourselves 
incapable. 

"As  an  eagle  stirreth  up  her  nest,  fluttereth  over  her 
young,  taketh  them,  beareth  them  upon  her  wings,  so  the 


224 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


Lord  alone  did  lead  Ilim."  And  so  He  stirs  up  our 
nest  and  pitches  us  out  in  mid  air,  helpless  and  defence- 
less orphans,  and  we  think  that  it  is  to  destroy  us,  but 
it  is  only  to  constrain  us,  that  we  may  strike  out  tlie 
little  wings  of  faitli  and  learn  to  fly  in  the  great  unseen. 
And  when  we  get  a  little  weary.  He  stretches  out  His 
mighty  pinions  and  bears  us  up  again  until  we  are  ready 
for  another  lesson.  And  so  tlirough  hardship,  through 
the  discipline  of  trials,  through  new  circumstances 
into  which  He  brings  us,  through  difficulties  for  which 
we  feel  unequal  He  is  developing  us,  throwing  us  \ipon 
Him,  teaching  us  to  claim  His  grace  and  educating  us 
for  the  higher  energies,  and  the  nobler  manhood  of  the 
life  to  come.  Oh,  how  He  delights  in  us  when  we  yield 
to  Him!  How  disappointed  He  is  in  us  when  we  re- 
fuse! How  sad  when  the  clay  will  not  let  the  Potter 
fashion  it,  and  He  has  to  throw  it  aside!  Beloved,  let 
us  trust  His  love,  and  yield  to  His  high  and  holy  pur- 
pose of  love  and  blessing. 

vn. 

Finally,  the  Holy  Ghost  is  yearning  for  our  higher 
usefulness,  and  training  us  for  service.  The  life  of 
God  is  an  unselfish  life;  the  employment  of  the  ages  to 
come  will  be  wholly  benevolent  and  self-forgetful.  Our 
service  for  Christ  today  is  a  great  ir vestment  through 
which  we  are  laying  up  treasures  beyond,  that  are  to 
constitute  our  everlasting  riches  and  reward.  And  so 
the  Holy  Ghost  is  pressing  us  forward  to  make  the  most 
of  present  opportunities;  He  is  trying  to  get  us  to 
plant  the  seeds  of  usefulness  and  to  invest  the  things 
that  we  hold  dear  in  sacrifice  and  service,  which  yet  will 
bear  immortal  flowers  and  plant  the  heavens  with  trees 
of  righteousness  and  fruits  of  glory. 


CHAPTER  XXITI. 

THE  HOLY  SPHIIT  IN  THE  EPISTLES  OF 

PETER. 


T 


HERE  are  three  important  truths  respecting  the 
Holy  Spirit  presented  in  the  Epistles  of  Peter. 


I. 


THE  SPIRIT   OF  INSPIRATION. 


In  2  Peter  1 :  21  we  are  told  that  *  *  the  prophecy 
came  not  by  the  will  of  man,  but  holy  men  of  old  spake 
as  they  were  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost."  This  is  a 
very  explicit  statement  of  the  doctrine  of  inspiration. 
They  were  not  giving  their  own  opinions;  they  were 
not  writing  bj-  the  impulse  of  their  own  will.  Some- 
times they  said  things  that  were  contrary  to  all  their 
natural  preferences  and  attachments,  as  for  example, 
when  Samuel  pronoimced  his  judgment  upon  the  house 
of  Eli,  or  when  Jeremiah  uttered  his  awful  ^varnings 
against  his  dearly  loved  people  and  country. 

But  they  were  ** moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost."  The 
Greek  word  moved  is  a  very  strong  one,  and  in  the 
Revised  Version  is  translated  "borne."  They  were 
swept  along  by  a  mighty  impulse  which  carried  them  far 
beyond  themselves.  They  did  not  always  even  under- 
stand their  own  predictions,  for  in  I  Peter  1 :  10,  we  are 
told  that  "the  prophets  have  inquired  and  searched 
diligently,  who  prophesied  of  the  grace  that  should 
come  unto  you :  searching  what,  or  what  manner  of  time 
the  Spirit  of  Christ  which  was  in  them  did  signify,  when 
it  testified  beforehand  the  sufferings  of  Christ,  and  the 
glory  that  should  follow. ' ' 

Daniel  tells  us  that  he  heard  but  understood  not,  his 
own  vision.    Sometimes  they  saw  the  vision  of  a  glorious 

225 
IS 


226 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


King,  sometimes  of  a  bleeding  Lamb.  But  they  did  not 
always  fully  comprehend  what  it  all  meant,  nor  when 
it  was  all  to  bo  fulfilled.  It  loomed  before  them  as  a 
glorious  vista  of  far  reaching  promise,  but  there  was 
many  a  cloud  upon  the  vision,  and  all  they  clearly  knew 
was  that  "not  unto  themselves,  but  unto  us  they  did 
minister"  these  wondrous  revelations  of  truth. 

In  the  next  verse  the  apostle  speaks  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  not  only  in  the  message  of  the  prophets,  but  in 
the  message  of  the  ministers  of  the  gospel,  as  these 
truths  are  now  preached  unto  us  by  the  ambassadors  of 
Christ,  ''with  the  Holy  Ghost  sent  down  from  heaven." 
The  ancient  prophet  was  the  organ  of  the  Spirit,  but  the 
minister  of  the  gospel  has  the  very  presence  and  person 
of  "the  Sp'rit  sent  down  from  heaven,"  accompanying 
his  message  and  giving  authority  and  power  to  his 
word;  so  that  when  we  speak  the  message  of  God,  we 
speak  in  the  very  name  of  God,  and  those  who  hear  are 
responsible  for  rejecting  or  receiving,  not  the  word  of 
man,  but  the  very  word  of  the  living  God. 


n. 


THE    SPIRIT   OF    SANCTIFICATION. 

1  Peter  1:2,  "  Elect  according  to  the  forelmowledge 
of  God  the  Father,  through  sanctification  of  the  Sjoirit, 
unto  obedience  and  sprinkling  of  the  blood  of  Jesus 
Christ."  The  Apostle  Peter  fully  believed  in  the  sov- 
ereignty of  God,  and  in  the  divine  purpose  of  election; 
but  he  did  not  believe  in  any  foreordination  apart  from 
personal  sanctification.  The  truth  is,  there  are  two  ends 
to  the  divine  purpose.  On  yonder  side  the  cable  is 
fastened  to  the  throne,  and  hidden  from  our  view  i? 
the  inscrutable  and  inaccessible  light  of  God;  but  on 
this  side  the  cable  of  divine  mercy  is  within  our  reach, 
and  we  may  fasten  it  around  our  own  Iiearts  through 
faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  indwelling  of 


THE  EPISTLES  OF  PETEE 


227 


the  Holy  Ghost,  so  that  we  may  make  our  callinji;  and 
election  sure,  and  know  that  we  belong  to  the  heavenly 
family. 

The  word  'Hhroiigh"  should  rather  be  translated 
"in"  sanctification.  Holiness  is  the  element  and  atmos- 
phere of  the  divine  calling,  and  as  we  are  found  there 
we  must  be  inseparably  linked  with  Him;  and  apart 
from  this  spiritual  condition,  we  have  no  right  to  rest  in 
any  theological  dogma  or  ecclesiastical  form.  Let  us 
leave  the  theology  of  it  to  God,  and  let  us  make  the 
practical  application  sure. 

Let  us  carefully  notice  the  form  of  expression  here 
used.  It  is  not  sanctification  hy  the  Spirit,  but  sanc- 
tification of  the  Spirit.  There  is  a  great  dilference. 
Sanctification  by  the  Spirit  might  leave  us  crystalized 
into  a  sanctified  state,  like  the  wax  when  the  stamp  is 
withdrawn,  or  like  the  clock  wound  up  to  go  by  its  own 
machinery.  But  sanctification  of  the  Spirit  is  not  a 
self-constituted  state,  but  a  sanctification  which  consists 
in  our  union  with  the  Spirit,  and  makes  and  keeps  us 
dependent  upon  His  indwelling  life  and  power  every 
moment.  We  are  not  sanctified  apart  from  Him,  but 
only  as  we  are  filled  with  Him,  and  abide  in  Him  con- 
tinually. We  are  but  the  vessel,  an  empty  shell  which 
He  must  fill,  and  keep  ever  freshly  filled  by  "the  re- 
newing of  the  Holy  Ghost. ' ' 

The  Greek  genitive  expressed  by  the  preposition  of 
indicates  the  most  intimate  connection  between  our 
sanctification  and  our  possession  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Be- 
loved, have  we  the  Spirit  as  our  Sanctifier  and  our  Life? 
Have  we  something  more  than  holiness,  even  the  Holy 
One  Himself  to  "dwell  in  us  and  walk  in  us,"  and  ever 
"cause  us  to  keep  His  statutes  and  judgments  and  do 
them?" 

Again,  the  sanctification  of  the  Spirit  brings  us 
the  "sprinkling  of  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ."  Now, 
the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  means  the  life  of  Jesus  Christ, 


228 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


I 


and  the  life  of  Christ  has  always  a  twofold  application. 
First,  the  life  of  Christ  was  given  for  us  through  the 
shedding  of  His  blood  and  the  atonement  of  His  death 
on  Calvary.  But  the  life  of  Christ  is  also  given  to  us 
by  His  union  with  us  and  abiding  in  us. 

This  latter  sense  is  the  one  covered  by  the  **  sprinkling 
of  the  blood. ' '  We  read  in  the  twenty-fourth  chapter  of 
Exodus,  that  when  Moses  was  about  to  take  the  leaders 
of  Israel  up  into  the  mount,  he  offered  sacrifices  of  oxen, 
slaying  the  bullocks  and  pouring  out  half  of  their  blood 
upon  the  altar,  thus  signifying  the  shedding  of  Christ's 
blood  for  us  in  the  offering  of  His  sacrifice  upon  the 
cross.  But  the  other  half  of  the  blood  he  took  in  basins 
and  carried  it  up  unto  the  Mount,  sprinkling  part  of  it 
upon  the  people  and  the  book  of  the  covenant ;  and,  thus 
sprinkled  with  blood  and  accompanied  by  the  blood, 
they  went  up  into  the  very  presence  of  God,  and  were 
received  into  His  love  and  favor.  Instead  of  the  thun- 
ders and  lightnings  which  yesterday  made  Mount  Sinai 
a  scene  of  terror,  the  blue  heavens  without  a  cloud  cov- 
ered them  as  a  celestial  dome,  and  Jehovah  received  them 
into  His  presence  chamber,  feasted  them  as  princely 
guests  at  a  royal  banquet,  and,  it  is  added,  ''upon  the 
nobles  of  Israel  he  laid  not  His  hand;  but  they  did  cat 
and  drink,  and  they  saw  God." 

Now,  the  sprinkled  blood  in  this  beautiful  type  is 
quite  different  from  the  shed  blood  poured  out  upon  the 
altar;  it  represents  the  life  of  Christ  imparted  to  us, 
and  making  us  fit  for  His  presence  and  fellowship.  This 
is  the  work  of  thj  Holy  Ghost.  He  brings  us  into  living 
union  with  the  person  of  Jesus  and  reproduces  in  us  the 
very  life  of  Christ. 

"We  believe  this  is  the  meaning  of  the  strong  expres- 
sions used  so  often  respecting  the  life  and  blood  of 
Jesus.  We  are  said  to  be  "saved  hy  His  life."  Again, 
the  "blood  of  Jesus  Christ  His  Son,"  that  is,  the  life  of 
Jesus  Christ,  "cleanseth  us,  or  keeps  cleansing  us  from 


I 


THE  EPISTLES  OF  PETER 


229 


prcs- 
1(1  of 
pain, 
foof 
from 


all  sin."  So  again,  in  the  sixth  of  John,  it  is  by  eating 
His  flesh  and  drinking  His  blood  that  we  have  eternal 
life,  and  that  life  is  nourished  from  day  to  day.  Be- 
loved, do  we  know  the  sprinkling  of  the  blood  of  Jesus, 
and  are  we  living  upon  His  life? 

There  is  another  beautiful  type  in  the  Old  Testament 
throwing  much  precious  light  upon  this  striking  figure. 
It  is  the  account  of  the  red  heifer  in  the  nineteenth 
chapter  of  the  Book  of  Numbers.  We  will  pass  by  the 
other  applications  of  this  remarkable  type,  and  refer 
only  to  the  sprinkling  of  the  water  of  separation. 

''^hen  any  one  in  the  camp  of  Israel  had  become 
ueii^Ju  by  the  touch  of  the  dead,  or  by  contact  with  un^ 
cleanness  in  any  way,  it  was  provided  that  he  should  be 
cleansed  and  restored  by  sprinkling  with  the  water  of 
separation.  This  water  was  made  out  of  the  ashes  of  the 
heifer  that  had  been  sacrificed  and  then  burned,  and 
preserved  in  a  sacred  place  for  this  purpose.  "Water  was 
poured  upon  it  and  then,  with  a  bunch  of  hyssop,  the 
unclean  person  was  sprinkled  and  cleansed. 

Now,  we  know  that  the  water  which  you  make  out  of 
ashes  is  known  as  lye,  and  it  is  pungent  and  cutting  in 
its  operation  as  caustic  or  fire.  The  sprinkling  that  came 
in  this  w  •  Tipon  the  unclean  would  not  be  likely  to  be 
forgotten.  was  a  cleansing  that  would  cut  to  the 

core,  and  ol  '  .  to  the  bone.  And  so  the  work  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  is  not  always  soft  and  complacent,  but 
often  most  searching  and  consuming.  He  brings  home 
to  our  hearts  the  application  of  the  death  of  Christ,  until 
it  takes  us  into  actual  fellowship  with  His  death,  and 
makes  us  also  willing  to  die  to  the  sinful  or  selfish 
thing  which  He  lias  revealed  in  our  natural  life. 

There  ^s,  therefore,  a  sent^e  in  which  the  sanctifying 
work  of  V  u^  Holy  Ghost  is  at  once  immediate  and  pro- 
gressive. There  is  a  moment  in  which  we  actually  enter 
into  personal  union  with  Jesus  and  receive  the  baptism 
of  the  Holy  Ghost.     In  that  moment  we  are  fully  ac- 


230 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


cepted,  and  are  fully  sanctified  up  to  all  the  light  we 
have.  But  as  the  light  grows  deeper  and  clearer  He 
leads  us  farther  down,  and  farther  on,  at  once  reveal- 
ing and  healing  every  secret  thing  that  is  contrary  to 
His  perfect  will,  as  we  are  able  to  bear  it,  and  bringing 
us  into  perfect  conformity  to  the  very  nature  and  life 
of  Christ. 

It  is  somewhat  like  the  operation  of  the  limestone 
brook  upon  the  wooden  branch  that  is  left  lying  in  the 
flowing  stream.  Day  b}  Iav,  the  limestone  held  in  solu- 
tion is  deposited  in  the  c  '  fibres  of  the  wood,  until 
after  a  while  the  wood  has  .en  changed  to  stone  and, 
while  retaining  its  natural  form,  its  substance  has  been 
transformed  into  the  nature  of  the  stone.  So  there  is  a 
sense  in  which  the  Holy  Ghost  holds  the  life  of  Jesus 
Christ  in  a  kind  of  solution,  and  imparts  it  to  us,  until 
we  become  perfectly  conformed  to  the  very  image  of  our 
glorious  Pattern  and  Head. 

Once  more,  the  sanctification  of  the  Spirit  leads  to 
** obedience."  It  is  not  all  theory  and  experience,  but 
it  is  intensely  practical  and  real.  It  runs  into  our  daily 
lives  in  the  home,  the  factory,  and  the  store.  It  uakes 
us  better  men  and  women,  and  compels  the  world  to 
testify  to  its  genuineness  and  reality.  And  then  it  be- 
comes so  easy.  It  is  not  the  obedience  of  effort,  but  the 
spontaneous  and  joyful  outflow  of  life  and  love.  He  not 
only  dwells  in  us,  but  He  also  walks  in  us.  ''And  what 
the  law  could  not  do  in  that  it  was  weak  through  the 
flesh,"  "the  law  of  the  Spirit  of  life  in  Christ  Jesus," 
does  accomplish,  **  making  us  free  from  the  law  of  sin 
and  death,  that  the  righteousness  of  the  law  might  be 
fulfilled  in  us,  who  walk  not  after  the  flesh,  but  after 
the  Spirit."  _ 

THE   SPIRIT   OP  GLORY. 

1  Peter  4:14,  **If  ye  be  reproached  for  the  name  of 
Christ,  happy  are  ye;    for  the  Spirit  of  glory  and  of 


THE  EPISTLES  OF  TETEK 


231 


God  resteth  upon  you."  The  work  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
is  more  than  cleansing.  It  is  also  glorifying.  He  comes 
not  only  to  make  our  garments  white,  but  lustrous,  like 
the  transfiguration  light  and  the  marriage  robe. 

In  the  ancient  tabernacle  there  were  three  sections. 
The  first  represented  salvation ;  it  was  the  Court  where 
the  worshiper  came  to  the  altar  and  the  laver  for  the 
atoning  blood  and  the  cleansing  water.  The  second  was 
the  Holy  Place,  the  chamber  where  the  priests  had  their 
home,  and  where  they  dwelt  with  God  amid  the  light  of 
the  golden  lamps,  feeding  upon  the  sacred  bread  and 
frankincense,  and  breathing  the  fragrant  odors  that 
arose  in  clouds  of  incense  from  the  golden  altar  of  inter- 
cession. This  represented  sanctification,  communion, 
fellowship,  the  life  of  abiding  in  personal  union  with 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  But  there  was  another  chamber 
farther  in.  It  was  the  Holy  of  Holies,  the  sacred  pres- 
ence chamber  of  God,  where  the  Shekinah  glory  shone 
between  the  outstretched  wings  of  the  heavenly  cheru- 
bim. This  was  God's  image  of  the  glory.  This  repre- 
sents, of  course,  the  future  glory  of  our  heavenly  home 
and  the  millennial  day  for  which  we  are  waiting.  But 
this  also  represents  the  beginning  of  that  glory  into 
which  we  may  enter  now.  For  the  Holy  Ghost  is  the 
earnest  of  our  future  inheritance,  and  He  brings  its  fore- 
gleams  and  foretastes  to  us  here. 

That  inner  chamber,  in  the  days  of  Moses,  was  shut 
off  from  view.  Only  the  high  priest  might  enter  it,  and 
he  but  once  a  year.  But  the  veiling  curtains  were  rent 
asunder  when  Jesus  died,  and  the  glory  was  opened  wide 
for  us  to  enter  in.  And  so  we  read  the  divine  invitation, 
"Having,  therefore,  boldness  to  enter  into  the  holiest 
by  the  blood  of  Jesus,  by  a  new  and  living  Way,  which 
He  hath  consecrated  for  us,  through  the  veil,  that  is, 
His  flesh,  let  us  draw  near  with  a  true  heart,  in  full 
assurance  of  faith."  Yes,  we  may  enter  into  the  glory 
even  here.     "The  glory  which  Thou  gavest  Me,  I  have 


232 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


given  them,"  is  our  Saviour's  parting  bequest.  Not 
only  does  He  give  us  His  peace  and  His  love,  but  He 
gives  us  Ilis  glory,  too,  and  into  its  heavenly  radiance 
we  may  enter  now.  "AVhom  having  not  seen,  we  love, 
in  whom  though  now  we  see  Him  not,  yet  believing,  we 
rejoice  with  joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory."  *'Not 
only  so,  but  we  glory  in  tribulations  also."  "If  ye  be 
reproached  for  the  name  of  Christ,  happy  are  ye;  for 
the  Spirit  of  glory  and  of  God  resteth  upon  you." 

It  is  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to  make  this  intelli- 
gible to  any  one  who  has  not  been  initiated  into  the  al- 
phabet of  heavenly  things.  It  needs  spiritual  senses  and 
instincts  to  comprehend  it.  But  almost  every  child  of 
God  has  at  one  time  or  other,  been  touched  with  some 
thrill  from  the  Spirit  of  glor3^  Perhaps  it  lighted  up 
the  closet  of  prayer  until  it  became  the  gate  of  heaven. 
Perhaps  it  touched  your  sorrow  Avith  a  light  that  trans- 
figured the  night  into  morning  and  the  shadow  of  death 
into  the  light  of  heaven.  Perhaps  it  came  when  Jesus 
healed  your  body  and  gave  you  the  first  fruits  of  the 
resurrection.  Perhaps  it  comes  to  you  sometimes  when 
you  sit  and  think  of  the  cross  behind  you,  the  Christ 
within  you,  and  the  home  before  you,  and  you  scarcely 
know  whether  you  are  in  the  body  or  out  of  the  body. 
But  the  blessed  Spirit  is  ready  to  bring  it  to  us  just 
where  we  need  it  most. 

It  would  seem  as  if  its  congenial  sphere  was  the  place 
of  suffering,  persecution  and  reproach.  It  would  seem 
as  if,  when  earth's  barometer  goes  down  to  the  lowest 
point,  heaven's  sunburst  always  comes  most  brightly 
through  the  tempest  clouds.  It  is  "in  tribulation"  "we 
glory";  it  is  "when  reproached  in  the  name  of  Christ" 
that  "the  Spirit  of  glory  and  of  God  rests  upon  us." 

But  let  us  be  very  sure  that  we  are  reproached  "in 
the  name  of  Christ,"  as  the  passage  should  be  translated. 
Tiet  us  not  suffer,  as  the  passage  suggests,  because 
of  our  own  foolishness  or  sin,  as  transgressors  or  busy 


for 


THE  EPISTLES  OF  PI  7ER 


233 


bodies.  But,  standing  in  the  name  of  Christ,  living  in 
His  high  and  holy  character,  representing  Him  and  re- 
sembling Him,  let  lis  not  fear  if  trials  come,  and  storms 
of  sorrow  fall.  The  cloud  will  be  but  His  background 
for  the  rainbow.  The  pillar  that  loomed  by  day  as  an 
enshrouding  mist,  will  glow  by  night  like  a  celestial  fire; 

"And    sorrow   touched    by   God   grows  bright 
With  more  tliau  rapture 's  ray, 
As  darkness  shows  us  worlds  of  liglit 
Wo  never  saw  by  duy. " 


(<; 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  THE  FIRST  EPISTLE 

OF  JOHN. 

ONE  is  impressed  with  the  limited  number  of  direct 
references  to  the  Holy  Ghost  in  the  great  epistle 
of  the  beloved  disciple  in  comparison  with  his 
references  to  the  person  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

There  are  only  four  or  five  passages  in  all  this  long 
letter,  in  which  the  blessed  Paraclete  is  mentioned  by 
name,  but  Christ  is  referred  to  over  and  over  again.  One 
is  led  to  inquire  why  this  should  be.  And  perhaps  the 
answer  suggests  a  deep  and  beautiful  truth.  John  was 
so  saturated  with  the  Holy  Ghost  that,  like  the  Holy 
Ghost,  who  never  witnesses  of  Himself,  He  was  con- 
stantly thinking  of  Jesus,  and  witnessing  of  Him.  The 
very  fact  that  he  was  not  directly  referring  to  the  Spirit 
was  the  best  evidence  that  he  was  in  the  Spirit,  and  that 
he  was  occupied,  as  the  Holy  Ghost  always  is,  in  think- 
ing of  Jesus  and  glorifying  the  Son  of  God. 

And  so,  beloved,  as  we  are  most  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
we  shall  be  most  occupied  with  Jesus;  so  that  we  will 
not  think  so  much  of  our  owti  experience  or  of  the 
glorious  Friend  within  us  as  the  face  of  Jesus  and  the 
depths  of  His  heart  of  love. 

There  are,  however,  several  very  important  references 
to  the  Holy  Spirit  in  this  epistle.  Before  we  take  them 
up  in  detail,  it  is  necessary  that  we  should  explain  our 
silence  respecting  one  of  the  verses  in  this  epistle  which 
bears  most  direct  witness  to  the  Holy  Ghost. 

It  is  the  well  known  passage,  I  John  v.  7:  "There 
are  three  that  bear  record  in  heaven,  the  Father,  the 
Word,  and  the  Holy  Ghost;  and  these  three  are  one." 
This  verse  which  contains  so  direct  and  theological  a 
testimony  to  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity  is  undoubtedly 

234 


THE   FIRST    EPISTLE   OF  JOHN 


235 


TLE 

E  direct 

epistle 

ith  his 

lis  long 
ned  by 
Q.  One 
aps  the 
hn  was 
e  Holy 
as  con- 
1.  The 
3  Spirit 
nd  that 
think- 

Ghost 
ve  will 
of  the 
nd  the 

rences 
e  them 
lin  our 
which 

There 
3r,  the 


one. 


J) 


jical  a 
btedly 


spurious.  It  is  not  found  in  any  of  the  early  manu- 
scripts, and  by  the  consent  of  the  highest  scholars  of  our 
age  it  ha.s  been  omitted  from  the  Revised  Version,  and 
was  undoubtedly  added  by  some  transcriber,  who  had 
more  zeal  for  theolog}'  tlian  discernment  of  the  mind 
of  the  Spirit  and  the  order  of  thought  in  this  chapter. 
The  verse  is  quite  irrelevant  in  the  place  where  it  is 
introduced,  and  it  is  by  no  means  necessary  to  prove 
the  divinity,  either  of  the  Son  or  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 


TECE  HOLY  GHOST  AS  THE  DIVINE  ANOINTING. 


((' 


'But  ye  have  an  unction  from  the  Holy  One,  and  ye 
know  all  things.  But  the  anointing  which  ye  have  re- 
ceived of  Him  abideth  in  you,  and  ye  need  not  that  any 
man  teach  you ;  but  as  the  same  anointing  teacheth  you 
of  all  things,  and  is  truth  and  is  no  lie,  and  even  as  it 
hath  taught  you,  ye  shall  abide  in  Him."  I  John  2: 
20,  27. 

We  have  previously  referred  to  the  symbol  of  oil,  and 
the  figure  of  anointing,  with  reference  to  the  Holy  Spirit. 
The  idea  of  this  passage  is  substantially  the  same  as  in 
the  passages  formerly  referred  to.  The  word  is  a  little 
different.  It  is  not  so  much  the  anointing  as  the  unc- 
tion, the  chrism  which  is  here  mentioned. 

We  need  not  remind  our  readers  that  this  word 
unction  or  anointing  is  the  same  word  from  which  the 
Christ  comes,  so  that  ''anointed  one"  just  means  Christ 
one.  We  read  in  the  previous  verses  of  the  anti-Christ 
and  of  the  many  anti-Christs  who  shall  come.  In  con- 
trast with  these  are  the  Christ  ones.  The  Holy  Ghost 
is  raising  up  Christ  men.  The  word  Christian  is  derived 
from  this  root,  but  it  is  not  entirely  satisfactory.  A 
Christian  is  one  that  is  somehow  connected  with  Christ, 
but  a  Christ  one  is  one  that  is  united  with  Christ  and 


T 


236 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


represents  Him,  being,  in  fact,  a  second  edition  of  Him, 
and  representing  the  very  life  of  Christ  among  men. 

Now  this  was  the  great  mission  of  the  Holy  Ghost — 
to  set  apart  the  Christ,  and  make  Him  the  great  pattern 
for  all  future  men.  Having  accomplished  this  work  in 
the  glorification  of  Jesus,  He  is  now  reproducing  the 
Christ,  in  the  Christ  ones,  and  calling  and  training  the 
disciples  of  Jesus  to  represent  the  Master  and  repeat 
His  life  through  the  Christian  dispensation. 

We  have  already  called  attention  to  the  use  of  anoint- 
ing in  setting  apart  prophets,  priests,  and  kings,  and  to 
the  special  significance  of  the  name  of  Christ  in  relation 
to  His  threefold  office  as  our  Prophet,  Priest,  and  King. 
In  like  manner  we  are  anointed  to  be  prophets,  priests, 
and  kings  of  the  Church  of  God,  to  be  God's  witnesses 
to  men  of  His  will  and  work,  to  be  God 's  intercessors  for 
men,  and  to  be  God's  kingly  ones,  victorious  over  self 
and  sin,  and  waiting  to  share  with  our  blessed  Head  the 
kingdom  of  the  millennial  age. 

Now  the  Holy  Ghost  calls  us  to  this  high  ministry 
and  fits  us  for  it.  The  anointing  here  spoken  of  is  de- 
scribed as  a  divine  gift,  **Ye  have  an  anointing."  The 
verb  here  is  quite  emphatic.  It  means  we  have  received 
a  special  gift,  and  we  know  we  have  received  it.  Be- 
loved, have  we  received  the  divine  anointinof,  the  Holy 
Ghost? 

His  work  is  here  referred  to  especially  in  two  aspects ; 
as  a  Teacher,  and  as  a  Keeper.  As  our  Teacher  He 
brings  to  us  the  mind  of  God  through  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures. The  language  here  used  does  not  imply  that  we 
are  inspired  as  the  apostles  and  prophets  of  the  Lord,  to 
know  the  will  of  God  apart  from  the  Holy  Scriptures. 
It  does  not  mean  that  we  are  not  to  receive  the  message 
of  God  from  human  lips;  but  it  does  mean  we  are  not 
to  receive  any  message  as  the  word  of  man,  but,  even 
when  we  are  taught  by  the  ministers  of  Christ,  we  are 
to  receive  them  as  the  messengers  of  God,  to  compare 


■  ! 

I 

^  f 


THE   FIRST   EPISTLE   OF  JOHN 


237 


of  Him, 
men. 
Ghost— 
;  pattern 
work  in 
eing  the 
aing  the 
I  repeat 

:  anoint- 
i,  and  to 
relation 
id  King, 
priests, 
witnesses 
ssors  for 
iver  self 
lead  the 

ninistry 
)f  is  de- 
The 
received 
it.  Be- 
16  Holy 

aspects ; 

her  He 
Scrip- 

that  we 
ord,  to 

iptures. 

message 

are  not 
t,  even 
we  are 

ompare 


their  word  with  Cod's  Holy  Word,  and  only  to  receive 
it  as  it  is  th(!  voice  of  God,  speaking  to  our  conscience 
in  the  Holy  Ghost. 

But  this  anointing  not  only  teaches  us,  but  keeps  us 
abiding  in  Him.  Tlit3  great  object  of  this  blessed  presence 
in  our  hearts  is  to  unite  us  to  Christ,  and  to  keep  us  ever 
dependent  upon  Him  and  close  to  Him,  so  that  **when 
He  shall  appear  we  may  have  confidence  and  not  be 
ashamed  before  Him  at  His  coming."  So  let  us  receive 
Him;  so  let  us  abide  in  Him;  so  let  us  represent  our 
blessed  Lord.  And  in  the  age  of  anti-Christ  let  us  be 
not  only  Christians  but  Christ  ones,  standing  for  our 
Lord  on  earth  as  He  ever  stands  for  us  in  heaven. 

THE  INDWELLING   SPIRIT. 

''And  hereby  we  know  that  He  abideth  in  us,  by  the 
Spirit  which  He  hath  given  to  us. "  I  John  3 :  24. 
"Hereby  know  we  that  we  dwell  in  Him,  and  He  in  us, 
because  He  hath  given  us  of  His  Spirit."  1  John  4: 13. 

It  it  not  so  much,  however,  the  indwelling  of  the 
Spirit  that  is  here  referred  to,  as  the  indwelling  of 
Christ  through  the  Spirit.  The  object  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  is  to  reveal  and  glorify  Jesus  and  make  Him  per- 
sonal and  real  in  the  life  of  the  believer. 

This  is  not  a  matter  of  faith,  but  it  is  a  matter  of 
knowledge.  **We  know  that  He  abideth  in  us."  It  is 
real  to  our  consciousness,  it  is  satisfying  to  our  hearts. 
Christ  is  to  us  a  personal  presence,  claims  our  affec- 
tion, and  satisfies  all  our  need,  while  the  Holy  Ghost 
just  ministers  Him  to  us,  and  holds  us  in  abiding  com- 
munion with  Him  as  the  source  and  substance  of  all  our 
life  for  spirit,  soul  and  body. 

We  shall  never  rightly  understand  the  Holy  Ghost  so 
long  as  we  terminate  our  thought  upon  Him     The  Scrip- 


238 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


tures  always  lead  us  on  beyond  every  subjective  experi- 
ence to  the  person  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  Himself. 


III. 


COUNTERFEIT  SPIRITS. 


"Beloved,  believe  not  every  spirit,  but  try  the  spirits, 
whether  they  be  oi  God,  because  that  many  false  spirits 
have  <^(mo  forth  into  the  world."  I  John  4:1.  The 
great  ambition  of  the  devil  is  to  counterfeit  the  Holy 
Ghost.  He  has  always  had  many  counterfeits  and  many 
anti-Christs,  but  as  the  age  draws  to  a  close  "the  spirits 
of  wickedness  in  heavenly  places"  will  grow  thicker  and 
"the  wiles  of  the  devil"  will  become  more  subtle  and 
deceiving. 

Already  we  can  discover  the  beginning  of  that  age  of 
Satanic  delusion  which  is  to  close  the  present  dispensa- 
tion and  gather  the  hosts  of  evil  to  "the  great  battle 
of  the  Lord  God  Almighty."  Often  he  comes  in  the 
disguise  of  good  and  as  an  angel  of  light,  and  God  has 
warned  us  to  be  watchful  and  to  "be  not  deceived." 

The  Apostle  John  gives  us  the  supreme  test,  and  that 
is  the  witness  these  spirits  bear  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
When  any  spiritual  influence  terminates  upon  itself  and 
does  not  directly  lead  us  forward  to  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  and  to  glorify  and  vivify  Him,  we  have  good 
reason  to  be  doubtful  of  it.  Any  spiritual  experience 
that  rests  chiefly  in  the  experience  and  in  its  delightful- 
ness  or  significance,  is  very  apt  to  prove  another  spirit. 
The  Holy  Ghost  always  witncsseth  to  Christ. 

This  passage  gives  us  a  still  more  discriminating 
touchstone  by  which  w^e  may  detect  some  of  the  spirits 
that  have  gone  abroad  in  our  ow^n  day.  "Every  spirit 
that  confesseth  not  that  Jesus  Christ  is  come  in  the  flesh 
is  not  of  God ;  but  this  is  that  Spirit  of  anti-Christ  of 
which  we  have  heard  that  it  should  come,"  and  which 
even  in  John's  day  was  in  the  world. 


THE  FIRST   EPISTLE   OF  JOHN 


239 


experi- 
mself. 


spirits, 
3  spirits 
1.  Tlie 
le  Holy 
id  many 
e  spirits 
iker  and 
)tle  and 

t  age  of 
ispensa- 
|t  battle 
B  in  the 
jod  has 
ed." 
nd  that 

Christ. 

elf  and 
Jesus 
;e  good 
)ericnce 
i-htful- 
spirit. 

inating 
spirits 
•  spirit 
le  flesh 
irist  of 
which 


I 


This  is  the  spirit  that  denies  the  material  world  and  the 
actual  physical  incarnation  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
making  the  story  of  creation  a  beautiful  allegory  and 
the  account  of  Christ  a  fiction,  discarding  the  doctrine 
of  sin  and  atonement  and  the  actual  Tucifixion  of  Christ 
as  a  substitute  for  sinful  men. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  name  the  plausible  and  wide- 
spread error  which  is  abroad  today,  which  tells  us  that 
there  is  no  material  world,  that  there  is  no  material  body, 
that  there  is,  therefore,  no  physical  basis  for  disease, 
that  everything  is  ideas  and  mind,  and  that  all  we  have 
to  do  is  to  think  rightly,  and  everything  else  will  be 
right,  for  pain  is  only  an  idea  in  the  mind  and  if  we 
refuse  to  believe  in  the  pain  it  will  cease  to  exist,  and 
healing   will   follow   as   a  matter   of   course,      'this   is 

^her  Christianity  nor  science,  but  it  is  the  false  spirit 
^h  John  predicted  eighteen  centuries  ago,  and  one 
of  the  harbingers  of  the  final  anti-Christ. 

But  there  are  many  more  abroad.  There  is  real  danger 
among  those  who  know  the  Holy  Ghost,  that  they  should 
become  absorbed  or  lifted  up  in  their  own  self-conscious- 
ness, and  thus  be  separated  from  Christ  and  the  truth. 
Satan  is  trying  to  get  us  on  a  pinnacle  of  the  temple  that 
he  may  cast  us  down  into  some  wild  fanaticism  or  pre- 
sumption. If  we  are  God's  true  children  he  cannot 
kill  us,  but  he  can  break  our  backs  and  disable  us  for  the 
battle  of  the  Lord.  He  can  mar  our  testimonj'',  cause  our 
good  to  be  evil  spoken  of,  and  make  us  so  extravagant 
and  ridiculous  that  we  shall  not  commend  our  testimony 
to  thoughtful  and  well-balanced  men.  May  God  give 
to  us  **the  spirit  of  a  sound  mind,"  as  well  as  of  "love 

and  power." 

rv. 

THE    SPIRIT    OF   VICTORY. 


((- 


'Ye  are  of  God,  little  children,  and  have  overcome 
them;  because  greater  is  He  that  is  in  you  than  he 
that  is  in  the  world. ' '     I  John  4 :  4. 


w 


240 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


The  secret  of  victory  is  to  recognize  the  Conqueror 
within  and  the  adversary  as  a  conquered  foe.  John  does 
not  say  we  shall  overcome,  but  he  says  we  have  over- 
come them,  because  He  that  is  in  us  is  "greater  than  he 
that  is  in  the  world."  "He  that  is  in  us"  has  already 
conquered,  and  He  leads  us  on  to  His  own  victory.  We 
are  to  meet  the  enemy  as  already  subdued  and,  like 
Joshua  and  the  hosts  of  Israel,  to  put  our  feet  upon  the 
necks  of  the  giants  and  look  into  their  faces  with  de- 
jSance.  Satan  has  power  only  when  he  can  make  us 
dread  him.  He  flees  before  the  victorious  faith  and  holy 
confidence. 

At  the  same  time,  John  fully  recognizes  the  power  of 
him  that  is  in  the  world.  "We  are  of  God,"  he  says 
later,  "and  the  world  lieth  in  the  wicked  one."  It 
lijs  in  his  arms,  a  helpless  captive,  taken  alive  at  his 
will.  He  is  the  power  that  controls  it,  and,  although  it 
may  loolc  sometimes  like  a  very  cultivated,  beautiful 
and  civilized  world,  yet  the  principle  that  lies  at  the  root 
of  all  its  progress  and  power  is  human  selfishness  and, 
therefore,  godlessness.  Christ  is  not  yet  the  sovereign 
of  all  the  world.  He  is  the  soveieign  of  His  people's 
hearts;  He  is  in  them;  Satan  is  in  the  vv'orld.  But  the 
heart  in  which  He  dwells  is  alreadj'  victor,  and  goes 
forth  to  every  conflict  with  the  battle  cry,  "Thanks  be 
unto  God  who  giveth  us  the  victory  through  our  Lord 
Jesus   Christ." 

V. 

THE  WITNESSING  SPIRIT. 

This  is  the  last  aspect  under  which  the  Holy  Ghost  is 
presented  in  the  Epistle  of  John.  "It  is  the  Spirit  that, 
beareth  witness,  because  the  Spirit  is  truth.  And  there 
are  three  that  bear  witness  in  earth,  the  Spirit  and  the 
water  and  the  blood,  and  these  three  agree  in  one,*' 
I  John  5:6,  8.  The  three  witnesses  who  agree  upon 
earth  are  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  water  of  baptism,  and  the 


THE  FIRST   EPISTLE   OF  JOHN 


241 


nqueror 
»hn  does 
ve  over- 
than  he 
already 
ry.  "We 
Qd,  like 
pon  the 
vith  de- 
aake  us 
md  holy 

lower  of 
he  says 
le."  It 
e  at  his 
lough  it 
teautiful 
the  root 
ess  and, 
>vereign 
people 's 
But  the 
nd  goes 
anks  be 
iir  Lord 


■^host  is 
rit  that 
id  there 
and  the 
a  one, 
50  upon 
and  the 


»» 


blood  of  Jesus  Christ  which  we  commemorate  in  the 
Holy  Supper,  and  wliicli  we  recognize  as  the  atonement 
for  our  sins,  and  the  i)urchase  of  our  redemption.  It  is 
of  the  witness  of  the  Spirit  that  we  are  called,  however, 
to  speak  liere. 

1.  The  Holy  Ghost  witnesses  first  through  the  Word, 
and  this  is  John's  argument  in  this  passage.  He  says, 
"If  we  receive  the  witness  of  men,  the  witness  of  God 
is  greater:  for  this  is  the  witness  of  God  which  He 
hath  testified  of  His  Son ;  for  God  hath  given  us  eternal 
life,  and  this  life  is  in  His  Son."  Then  he  goes  on  to 
say  that  if  we  receive  not  this  witness  "we  make  Him  a 
liar,  because  we  believe  not  the  witness  which  God  hath 
given  of  His  Son."  This  is  the  message  of  the  Gospel. 
It  is  the  Holy  Ghost  that  speaketh.  It  comes  to  men  as 
God's  witness  and  He  declares  to  the  sinner  that  God 
hath  given  to  us  eternal  life,  that  this  life  is  in  His 
Son,  and  that  if  we  accept  His  Son,  we  have  life.  Now 
our  duty  is  to  believe  this  witness,  and  to  believe  it  im- 
plicitly and  immediately;  the  moment  we  do  believe  it, 
it  becomes  true  for  us,  and  we  are  included  in  the  objects 
of  this  great  salvation.  This  is  where  faith  must  com- 
mence, hy  taking  God's  witness  and  believing  His  Word 
respecting  our  own  salvation  through  Jesus  Christ. 

2.  The  Holy  Ghost  next  witnesses  in  our  hearts  that 
that  which  we  have  believed  is  true  for  us  and  real  to 
us.  "He  that  believeth  on  the  Son  cf  God  hath  the 
witness  in  Himself."  The  moment  we  believe  the  Word, 
that  Word  becomes  effectual  in  our  hearts  and  brings 
us  into  the  actual  experience  of  peace  and  salvation.  The 
Word  comes  first  and  then  the  inward  witness.  We  con- 
not  receive  the  Holy  Ghost 's  assurance  of  our  acceptance 
of  salvation,  until  we  believe  on  the  simple  Word  of  God 
that  we  are  accepted  and  saved,  simply  because  we  have 
come  to  Christ  as  He  commanded  us,  and  we  are  not  cast 
out  as  He  promiied.  Then  the  soul  enters  into  a  real 
and  conscious  peace  and  a  delightful  assurance,  based 

i6 


242 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


:\  ■; 


upon  God's  Word  and  repeated  by  God's  Spirit  to  the 
individual  conscience,  that  we  are  the  children  of  God. 

3.  The  Holy  Ghost  witnesses  to  our  deeper  union  with 
Christ  and  our  divine  Sonship.  When  the  disciple  fully 
yields  himself  to  God,  he  is  sealed  with  the  Holy  Ghost; 
the  Spirit  of  Sonship  is  shed  abroad  in  the  heart,  and 
Jesus  Christ  is  made  personal  and  real  to  the  soul.  The 
Spirit  of  God  testifies  to  our  union  with  Him.  And  so 
Christ  has  said,  "At  that  day";  namely,  when  the 
Spirit  of  God  comes,  "ye  shall  know  that  I  am  in  the 
Father,  He  in  me,  and  I  in  you. ' '  This  is  the  sealing  of 
the  Spirit.  This  is  the  wedding-ring  forever  authenticat- 
ing the  marriage  of  the  soul  to  itb  Beloved. 

4.  The  Holy  Ghost  witnesses  to  God's  acceptance  of 
our  prayers.  This  follows  in  I  John  5 :  14,  15,  *  *  And 
this  is  the  confidence  we  have  in  Him,  that,  if  we  ask 
anything  accordinc  to  His  will.  He  heareth  us.  And 
if  we  know  that  He  hear  us,  whatsoever  we  ask,  we 
know  that  we  have  the  petitions  that  we  desired  of 
Him." 

5.  The  Holy  Ghost  witnesses  to  our  service,  and  gives 
us  the  seal  of  power  and  usefulness.  ' '  God  also  bearing 
witness  unto  them  with  signs  and  wonders,  and  divers 
miracles,  and  gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  according  to 
His  own  will, ' '  Hebrews  2 :  4.  We  go  forth  to  the  serv- 
ice of  Christ  and  the  Holy  Ghost  bears  witness  to  our 
service.  He  gives  us  power  for  service;  He  gives  us 
souls  for  our  seals;  He  makes  our  words  effectual,  and 
He  makes  our  fruit  "remain"  for  His  glory  and  our 
own  eternal  joy. 

Every  servant  of  Christ  who  is  baptized  with  the  Holy 
Ghost  has  a  right  to  expect  the  witness  of  the  Spirit  to 
his  work.  Just  as  of  old,  "they  went  forth  and  preached 
everywhere,  the  Lord  working  with  them  and  confirm- 
ing the  Word  with  signs  following,"  so  still  we  have  a 
right  to  expect  "the  signs  following."  Sometimes  they 
are  spiritual  signs,  in  the  conversion  of  souls ;  sometimes 


THE   FIRST   EPISTLE   OF  JOHN 


243 


gives 
)caring 
divers 
ng  to 
serv- 
0  our 
ves  us 
and 
(1  our 


3  Holy 
irit  to 
cached 
nfirm- 
lave  a 
!  they 
itiraes 


the}''  are  physical  signs,  in  the  healing  of  the  body ; 
sometimes  they  are  circumstances  of  marvelous  import, 
in  answered  prayi3r,  difficulties  removed,  signal  provi- 
dences of  God,  and  the  manifesting  of  God's  approval 
and  blessing.  So  God  has  set  His  seal  upon  the  mis- 
sionary work  of  our  day.  So  God  has  set  His  seal  upoii 
the  testimony  of  those  who  have  dared  to  claim  the  full- 
ness of  the  gospel,  and  enter  into  all  the  riches  of  their 
inheritance.  So  God  will  set  Ilis  seal  upon  every  life 
that  is  fuUj"  consecrated  and  fully  yielded  to  Ilim. 

Beloved,  claim  ^he  witness,  expect  the  power;  do  not 
be  satisfied  without  His  seal  to  your  testimony. 

6.  'T'he  Holy  Ghost  not  only  witnesses  to  us,  but  wit- 
nesses through  us.  The  special  object  of  His  coming 
upon  us  is  that  we  shall  be  witnesses  unto  Jesus.  '*Ye 
shall  receive  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  coming  upon 
you,  and  ye  shall  be  witnesses  unto  Me,  both  in  Jeru- 
salem, and  in  all  Judea,  and  in  Samaria,  and  unto  he 
uttermost  parts  of  the  earth." 

This  is  the  great  ministry  of  the  Spirit,  t  'itness 
through  the  disciples  of  Christ  to  the  Churcii,  u  the 
world,  and  especially  to  the  heathen. 

Beloved,  have  we,  as  we  read  these  words,  the  con- 
sciousness that  we  have  been  true  to  our  testimony? 
Have  we  stood  for  Christ  in  our  home  ?  Have  we  spoken 
to  all  in  our  household  fearlessly  and  fully  the  witness 
of  Christ  Jesus?  Can  we  say  that  wc  are  "pure  from 
the  blood  of  all  men?"  Are  we  known  in  our  business 
and  social  circles  as  uncompromising  friends  of  Christ? 
Have  we  dared  to  speak  in  the  Church  of  Christ  in 
every  proper  and  becoming  way  the  message  and  the 
witness  of  the  Master?  Is  our  position  known?  Are  we 
out  and  out  for  Christ,  and  is  it  our  joy  and  privilege, 
as  opportunity  is  afforded,  to  bear  witness  to  the  un- 
saved, of  IHm  who  is  able  to  save  to  the  uttermost? 
And  shall  we  some  day  find  waiting  for  us  a  chorus  of 
loving  hearts  that  shall  be  our  eternal  crown  and  seal? 


( . 


f 


244 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


•i  i 


A  few  weeks  ago,  the  writer  had  the  great  joy  of  stand- 
ing in  a  puli>it  before  a  hirge  eongregation,  and  hearing 
th(!  pastor  of  tliat  great  Church  rise  and  tell  his  people 
that  more  than  twenty  years  before,  he  had  been  led  to 
Christ  by  the  one  who  now  stood  by  his  side,  although 
this  fact  had  never  yet  been  known  to  this  one,  whom 
he  introduced  to  his  people  as,  under  God,  the  instru- 
ment of  his  salvation  and  usefulness.  As  our  heart 
thrilled  with  humble  gratitude  to  God  for  such  a  privi- 
lege, we  seemed  to  see  the  vision  of  a  time  when,  in 
yonder  heavenly  world,  one  and  another  might  come  for- 
ward and  greet  us  and  lead  us  to  the  throne  and  tell 
the  blessed  Master  that  He  had  used  us  to  bring  them  to 
Cod,  and  we  for  the  first  time  should  meet  and  know 
the  children  from  many  lands  that  the  Holy  Ghost  had 
made  seals  of  our  ministry.  0  beloved,  will  anyone 
there  be  waiting  and  watching  for  thee?  Have  you  some 
surprises  in  store  at  God's  right  hand  when  you  shall 
'*rest  from  your  labors  and  your  works  shall  follow 
you?" 

Let  us  receive  the  fullness  of  the  Spirit  first,  and  then 
we  cannot  but  give  Him,  Let  Him  witness  in  you  and 
to  you,  and  then  He  will  surely  witness  through  you. 
Oh,  let  us  be  so  fully  given  to  Him,  that  He  can  possess 
us  and  control  us,  and  then  can  use  us  to  reproduce  in 
others  blessing  which  we  have  received! 

In  a  frontier  Indian  mission  station,  a  little  girl,  one 
day,  came  to  her  teacher  and  said,  **  Teacher,  will  you 
let  me  do  something?"  The  teacher  asked  her  what  she 
wanted  to  do.  She  said,  "I  want  to  give  myself  away 
to  3^ou,  because  I  love  you,"  and  kneeling  down  by  her 
side  and  putting  her  two  hands  in  the  teacher's,  she 
said,  "I  give  myself  to  you,  because  I  love  you."  And 
the  little  heart  just  swelled  with  gladness,  as  she  threw 
herself  into  the  arms  of  her  teacher,  so  glad  to  be  owned 
and  loved. 

A  few  days  afterwards  she  asked  the  teacher  how  she 


THE   FIRST   EPISTLE   OF  JOHN 


245 


stand- 
learing 
people 

led  to 
though 

whom 
instru- 
•  heart 
I  privi- 
[len,  in 
me  f  or- 
nd  tell 
:hem  to 
i  know 
ost  had 
anyone 
)U  some 
u  shall 

follow 

id  then 
ou  and 
h  you. 
possess 
iuce  in 

irl,  one 

dll  you 

lat  she 

away 

by  her 

she 

And 

threw 

owned 


f 


»», 


could  consecrate  herself  to  Christ.  She  had  heard  about 
it,  but  didn't  understand  it.  The  teacher  said,  ** Dar- 
ling, just  give  yourself  away  to  Jesus  as  you  gave  your- 
self away  to  me." 

A  light  came  into  the  little  face,  and  kneeling  down 
again  beside  her  teacher,  she  clasped  her  hands,  and 
looking  up  with  holy  reverence,  said,  **  Jesus  I  give 
myself  to  You,  because  I  love  You ; ' '  and  then  the  Holy 
Ghost  came  down  and  she  ^new  she  was  sealed  His  own 
forever. 

She  had  a  very  wicked  father  in  a  distant  station,  a 
cruel,  brutal  man  who  refused  to  listen  to  the  gospel. 
She  began  to  pray  for  him,  and  one  day  she  asked  the 
teacher  if  anything  could  be  done  to  save  him.  "Why," 
said  her  teacher,  "write  to  him  and  tell  him  that  you 
have  given  yourself  away  to  Jesus,  and  ask  him  to  do  the 
same."  The  little  letter  was  sent  with  many  tears  and 
prayers.  Days  and  weeks  passed  by,  but  nothing  seemed 
to  come  out  of  it.  She  did  not  know  but  he  was  fiercely 
angry  and  Avaiting  for  some  terrible  revenge.  But  one 
day  he  appeared  at  the  mission.  He  had  walked  fifty 
miles,  and  was  tired  and  broken,  and  tears  were  run- 
ning down  his  face.  He  asked  for  the  teacher,  and  then 
he  requested  to  be  baptized.  He  said  he  had  come  "to 
give  himself  away  to  Jesus,"  and  amid  the  rejoicings  of 
his  little  one,  and  all  at  the  station,  the  rough,  brutal, 
wicked  man  gave  himself  to  Jesus  and  became  a  humble 
follower  and  fearless  witness  of  the  Saviour  he  had 
hated  and  despised. 

Beloved,  shall  we  let  Him  have  us,  and  then  shall  we 
let  Him  use  us  likewise  ? 


low  she 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  JUDE. 

"These  be  they  who  separate  themselves,  sensual,  having  not 
the  Spirit.  But  ye,  beloved,  building  up  yourselves  on  your  most 
holy  faith,  praying  in  the  Holy  Ghost,  keep  yourselves  in  the  love 
of  God,  looking  for  the  mercy  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  unto 
eternal   life."— Judo   19-21. 

THE  Epistle  of  Jude,  like  the  Apocalypse  which  fol- 
lows it,  is  written  for  the  last  times.  It  draws  a 
striking  contrast  between  the  first  and  last  chapters 
of  human  history,  especially  in  the  forms  of  wickedness 
which  prevailed  at  the  beginning  and  will  return  at  the 
end,  and  it  records  a  prophecy  of  the  Lord's  return 
uttered  by  Enoch  in  antediluvian  times,  and  soon  to  be 
fulfilled  in  the  times  in  which  it  is  our  lot  to  live. 

In  the  present  passage,  Jude  describes  two  classes  of 
men  and  draws  a  strong  contrast  between  them.  They 
resemble  each  other,  but  the  one  is  the  counterfeit  of 
the  other.  The  forms  of  wickedness  that  are  to  be  most 
dangerous  in  the  times  of  the  end,  are  not  those  marked 
by  open  defiance  of  God,  but  those  that  shall  be  cloaked 
'under  a  form  of  godliness  without  the  power,  and  be 
Satan's  counterfeits  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Let  us  look 
first  at  the  counterfeits,  and  then  at  the  genuine  people, 

I. 

Satan's  counterfeit  people. 


<<i 


These  are  they  who  separate  themselves,  sensual, 
having  not  the  Spirit,"  Jude  19.  This  is  an  unhappy 
translation.  The  word  sensual,  as  used  in  current 
speech,  means  immoral,  gross,  licentious  and  openly 
wicked.  The  Greek  word  does  not  convey  this  im- 
pression.   The  word  sensuous  would  be  nearer  to  it,  but 

246 


THE   HOLY  SPIRIT   IN  JUDE 


247 


even  this  is  too  strong.  The  word  natural  is  better,  and 
it  is  so  translated  in  the  second  chapter  of  First  Cor- 
inthians— "the  natural  man."  The  only  way  to  convey 
the  true  conception  is  to  anglicize  the  Greek  word,  and 
call  it  * 'psychical."  It  is  derived  from  the  Greek  word 
psyche,  meaning  the  soul.  It  describes  the  intermedi- 
ate part  of  human  nature.  Man,  according  to  the  phil- 
osophy of  the  Bible,  is  a  trinity  like  his  Creator,  con- 
sisting of  spirit,  soul,  and  body.  The  spirit  is  the  higher 
nature,  that  which  knows  God,  distinguishes  between 
right  and  wrong,  and  is  capable  of  religious  affections, 
emotions,  and  exercises.  The  physical  is  the  other  ex- 
treme. It  is  the  material  organism  indwelt  by  the  soul 
and  spirit,  and  the  instrument  of  its  desires,  purposes, 
and  operations.  Intermediate  between  these  two  is  the 
soul,  the  natural  mind,  the  seat  of  the  affections,  the 
understanding,  the  tastes,  that  which  loves  and  hates, 
that  which  thinks,  that  which  can  be  cultivated,  and 
which  has  at  once  its  lower  passions  and  its  finer  tastes. 
Tlic  psychical  man  is  the  man  that  is  controlled  by  this 
department  of  his  being. 

There  are  three  conditions  in  which  we  may  live. 
First,  we  may  be  controlled  by  our  lower  nature,  our 
animal  existence,  our  body  and  its  gross  appetites..  This 
is  pure  sensuality.  Secondly,  we  may  be  controlled  by 
our  tastes,  by  our  intelligence,  by  our  affections  and 
passions,  by  our  psychical  nature.  Thirdly,  we  may  be 
controlled  by  our  spiritual  nature. 

The  psychical  man  is  the  man  that  is  controlled  by  his 
natural  mind,  whether  its  tendencies  be  high  or  low.  He 
is  the  man  born  of  his  mother,  descended  from  Adam, 
inheriting  a  fallen  human  nature,  and  acting  entirely 
from  its  promptings.  He  may  be  a  very  refined  man,  a 
very  intellectual  man,  a  very  intelligent  man,  a  very 
affectionate  man,  a  man  full  of  domestic  virtues  and 
patriotic  fire,  but  he  is  a  natural  man. 

Now  all  these  three  departments  of  our  nature  arc 


^1. 


248 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


i    >! 


fallen  and  under  the  curse.  Our  body  is  subject  to 
disease  and  death.  Our  soul  has  become  self -centered 
and  has  wound  about  itself  and  its  own  gratification,  as 
a  watch  spring  around  its  center.  And  even  our  spirit 
is  fallen;  the  conscience  is  deranged;  the  will  is  en- 
feebled and  wrongly  directed,  and  our  highest  aspira- 
tions and  intuitions  are  under  the  influence  of  wicked 
spirits  and  unholy  motives. 

It  is  not  enough  for  us  to  subject  each  or  all  the  de- 
partments of  our  nature  to  any  one  of  them,  even  to 
the  spirit,  because  our  natural  spirit  is  fallen,  too.  Some 
people  think  that  all  that  is  necessary  is  to  crucify  the 
body,  to  put  it  into  a  cage,  feed  it  on  herbs  and  roots, 
deny  it  every  gratification,  and  sometime  it  may  lose 
its  evil  propensities.  This  has  been  proved  to  be  a 
monstrous  failure.  The  moment  the  restraint  has  been 
removed,  it  has  sprung  back  to  all  its  former  tendencies. 
You  may  crush  it,  but  you  cannot  destroy  its  evil  trend. 

Some  again  tell  us  that  all  we  need  is  to  exterminate 
the  soul,  to  crucify  our  human  passions,  our  earthly 
affections,  our  natural  tastes  and  desires,  and  become 
cold,  abstracted,  and  spiritual.  Well,  the  devil  is  a 
spirit,  but  he  is  the  most  wicked  of  spirits.  The  monk 
in  his  cell,  shut  off  from  every  earthly  thought,  desire, 
and  affection,  may  be  the  incarnation  of  wickedness, 
Jesuitism,  cruelty  and  unholy  ambition. 

God's  remedy  is  to  yield  up  the  whole  man — spirit, 
soul,  and  body  to  God,  hand  it  over  to  death,  and  then 
receive  a  new  creation,  a  converted  body,  a  regenerated 
soul,  a  new  spirit  in  the  glorious  work  of  a  complete 
conversion.  But  even  this  is  not  enough;  for  even  when 
converted,  we  will,  if  left  to  ourselves,  relapse  again, 
and  therefore  we  need  not  only  a  new  heart  and  a  new 
spirit,  but  the  Holy  Spirit  to  enter  and  keep  the  new 
man,  to  garrison  the  heart  and  mind,  to  hold  the  citadel, 
to  dwell  and  walk  within  us,  and  ''cause  us  to  keep  His 
statutes. ' ' 


m^^ 


i 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  JUDE 


249 


Now,  the  apostle  says  of  these  men  that  they  have  not 
the  Spirit.  They  have  a  substitute  for  it,  and  it  is  their 
own  spirit,  or  rather  their  own  soul,  their  carnal  mind, 
their  human  wisdom,  their  cultivated  nature.  They  are 
psychical  men. 

Well,  tlie  generation  has  not  passed  away,  the  world 
is  full  of  them  still.  "What  is  Theosophy?  Wliat  is 
Christian  Science  ?  What  is  much  of  our  modern  preach- 
ing? What  is  the  religion  of  culture?  It  can  weep 
under  the  pathos  ana  eloquence  of  the  preacher;  it 
can  even  preach  under  the  impulse  of  impassioned  elo- 
quence until  the  people  weep,  but  both  preacher  and 
people  may  be  but  psychical  men  after  all.  Perhaps 
they  weep  today  in  the  church,  and  will  weep  tomorrow 
in  the  theatre.  When  the  French  were  shedding  streams 
of  human  blood  in  the  terrible  revolution  of  a  hundred 
years  ago,  they  were  spending  their  evenings  in  the 
theatres  of  Paris  shedding  floods  of  tears  over  senti- 
mental plays.  There  is  a  great  deal  of  counterfeit  feel- 
ing even  in  modern  religion. 

The  sublime  oratorio  may  lift  your  soul  to  raptures 
of  delight;  the  perfect  harmonies  of  the  classic  hymn 
may  charm  your  cultivated  taste,  but  this  is  not  religious 
feeling.  Nay,  you  may  even  bow  beneath  the  mag- 
nificent arch  of  yonder  Cathedral,  and  in  its  dim  re- 
ligious light  5''ou  may  feel  a  kind  of  awe  that  you  think 
is  worship,  but  it  is  pure  sentiment,  and  you  can  go  out 
from  all  this  to  live  for  self  and  sin.  It  is  mere  psychol- 
ogy.  It  is  only  the  kindling  of  the  human  mind.  Thus 
heathen  idolatry  rouses  its  votaries  to  intensest  feeling 
and  overpowering  enthusiasm. 

Thus  poetry,  art,  music  and  eloquence  in  every  age 
have  charmed  and  thrilled  the  human  mind.  But  it  is 
only  human  feeling  after  all,  and  has  nothing  to  do  with 
the  work  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  power  of  the  Spirit 
reaches  the  conscience  and  convicts  it  of  sin,  enlightens 
the  understanding,  and  reveals  the  differencecs  between 


250 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


right  and  wrong,  and  the  beauty  and  authority  of  the 
will  of  God.  It  touches  the  will,  and  crucifies  it  to  its  own 
selfish  choice,  and  then  conforms  it  in  glad  surrender  to 
the  will  of  God ;  it  controls  the  whole  life  in  simple  and 
practical  obedience  and  service.  There  may  be  far  less 
sentiment  and  feeling,  "but  by  their  fruits  ye  shall 
know  them." 

We  have  to  guard  against  the  counterfeit,  and  not 
mistake  the  psychical  for  the  spiritual,  for  the  **  natural 
man  (the  psychical  man)  receivcth  not  the  things  of  the 
Spirit  of  God,  neither  can  he  know  them,  for  they  are 
spiritually  discerned." 

The  natural  man,  of  "flesh  and  blood,  cannot  inherit 
the  Kingdom  of  God."  The  Adam  race  cannot  enter  the 
eternal  home,  but  through  death  to  life  we  must  pass 
into  the  resurrection  of  Christ,  and  through  His  spiritual 
life,  born  of  the  Second  Man,  the  Lord  from  heaven,  we 
share  His  eternal  inheritance. 

"He  that  saveth  his  life  [psyche]  shall  lose  it, 
but  he  that  loseth  his  life  for  My  sake  sliall  keep  it 
unto  life  eternal. ' '  We  must  lay  down  this  self -life  even 
in  its  sweetest  and  highest  forms.  Shall  we  lose  it  for- 
ever? Nay,  we  shall  receive  it  back  in  resurrection 
power,  and  in  the  ages  to  come  shall  have  a  grander 
culture  and  a  nobler  satisfaction  forever.  Some  day 
God  will  clothe  us  with  the  rainbows  and  cause  us  to 
shine  as  the  sun  in  the  Kingdom  of  our  Father,  and  He 
will  give  us  a  mind,  a  capacity,  a  test  to  appreciate  and 
enjoy  it,  too,  and  yet  hold  it  only  for  His  glory. 


n. 


THE  SPIRITUAL   MAN. 


<«' 


'But  ye,  beloved,  building  up  yourselves  on  your  most 
holy  faith,  praying  in  the  Holy  Ght  ,t,  keep  yourselves 
in  the  love  of  God,  looking  for  the  mercy  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  unto  eternal  life." 


THE   HOLY  SPIRIT   IN  JUDE 


251 


1.  The  spiritual  man  is  a  man  of  faith.  Faith  is  tlio 
foundation  of  the  Christian  life  and  character,  and  on 
this  foundation  we  build  up  ourselves.  We  can  grow 
no  wider  than  the  foundation.  We  can  advance  only 
"according  to  our  faith."  We  are  to  "add  to  our  faith 
courage,  knowledge,  temperance,  godliness,  brotherly 
kindness  and  charity,"  and  all  the  graces  of  Christian 
life.  They  are  to  be  taken  by  faith  and,  step  by  step, 
we  are  to  go  forward  by  successively  receiving  from  the 
fullness  of  Christ,  "from  faith  to  faith,"  from  grace 
to  grace,  from  day  to  day. 

2.  The  spiritual  man  is  a  man  of  love.  "Keep  your- 
selves in  the  love  of  God."  While  faith  is  the  founda- 
tion, love  is  the  element  in  which  we  grow  and  live,  and 
so  Christ  has  said,  "Abide  in  My  love."  It  is  the  con- 
genial atmosphere  of  our  life  and  growth.  Love  is  life, 
and  only  as  we  keep  ourselves  in  the  love  of  God  and 
dwell  in  the  cloudless  communion  of  His  ''"Uowship, 
can  we  grow. 

3.  The  spiritual  man  is  a  man  of  hope.  He  has  a 
glorious  outlook ;  he  has  a  heavenly  horizon ;  he  has  an 
infinite  vision.  From  day  to  day  the  vision  grows  larger, 
and  the  inspiration  grander.  There  can  be  nothing 
glorious  without  hope,  and  the  higher  the  hope  the 
mightier  its  inspiration. 

Ours  is  a  glorious  hope,  an  infinite  hope,  looking  out 
on  the  eternal  years  and  reaching  up  to  the  very  heights 
of  God.  And  as  we  live  under  the  influence  of  this 
blessed  hope,  we  are  raised  to  a  majesty  and  grandeur 
that  dwarfs  all  petty  earthly  things  and  gives  sublimity 
to  our  life  and  character. 

4.  The  spiritual  man  is  sustained  and  upheld  in  his 
life  of  faith,  and  love,  and  hope,  by  the  prayer  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.  This  is  the  power  that  impels  his  life; 
this  is  the  inspiration  that  upholds  his  faith,  and  hope, 
and  love;  this  is  the  force  that  continually  supplies 
the  strength  of  his  whole  being. 


^i  t\ 


or.o 


POWEli  FKOM  ON  HIGH 


The  Holy  Ghost  has  come  to  umlertakn  the  whole  care 
and  responsibility  of  the  consecrated  life.  He  takes 
His  place  there  as  tlie  Pilot  upon  the  deck  to  bring  the 
Vi!ssel  into  the  harbor;  as  the  Contractor  for  that  build- 
ing, providing  all  necessary  supplies  for  its  erection  and 
completion;  as  the  Teacher  and  Trahier  of  some  im- 
portant school,  undertaking  the  wliole  discipline  of  that 
young  and  precious  life;  as  the  JMother,  undertaking 
the  care  and  oversight  of  her  precious  child;  as  the 
Commander-in-Chief  for  some  great  cami)aign,  with  his 
eye  and  hand  on  every  detail  of  the  conflict — so  the 
Holy  Ghost  sits  down  as  the  Author  and  Finisher  of  our 
spiritual  life.  He  is  looking  forward  every  moment 
to  the  glorious  consummation.  He  has  understood,  as 
we  cannot  understand,  God's  glorious  plan  for  us.  He 
sees  us  every  moment  as  we  shall  ])•  wlien  we  shine;  forth 
like  the  sun  in  the  kingdom  of  our  Father.  He  com- 
prehends the  perils  that  surround  us,  the  defects  witliin 
us,  the  temptations  without  us,  and  all  the  possibilities 
and  disabilities  of  our  life,  and  He  has  determined  to 
carry  us  through  in  spite  of  all  to  the  glorious  consum 
mation. 

Now  He  does  this  through  the  ministry  oi  prayer.  He 
takes  us  into  partnership  with  Him  in  the  work  of  our 
own  development  and  full  salvation.  He  does  not  work 
upon  us  as  the  potter  upon  the  plastic  clay,  but  He  works 
with  us  and  requires  our  co-operation  with  Ilim;  so,  as 
each  need  arises.  He  gently  lays  it  upon  our  own  heart; 
He  whisi)ers  it  to  us  as  a  breath  of  prayer,  or  a  burden  of 
desire,  and  He  leads  us  out  to  present  it  to  the  Father 
in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Thus,  step  by 
step,  moment  by  moment.  He  prays  out  in  us  every 
need  of  our  own  life,  every  need  (  "  our  work,  every 
need  of  the  other  lives  that  He  lays  upon  us,  and  the 
Father  sends  the  answer  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ. 

There  is  not  a  moment  in  the  believer's  life  when  the 


I 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  JTJDE 


253 


works 
so,  as 
leart ; 

den  of 
ather 

cp  by 
every 
every 
d  the 
Jesus 

)n  the 


Holy  Ghost  is  not  vipjilantly,  tenderly  watching  over 
him,  and  jjjuardini,'  liini  with  more  than  a  mother's  care. 
And  it'  we  were  only  more  sensitive  to  understand,  more 
quick  to  hear,  more  ready  to  respond,  our  livcis  would 
be  one  ceaseless  l)reath  of  prayer,  and  everything  would 
come  to  us  through  the  blessed  channel  of  the  Spirit's 
intercession.  Then  truly  we  would  "pray  without  ceas- 
ing," and  "in  everything  give  thanks,"  and  "wait  upon 
our  God  continually."  Then  we  should  never  miss  a 
single  hint,  suggestion,  or  ministry  of  prayer;  but  we 
would  be  in  perfect  touch  with  our  blessed  Guide  and 
have  the  continual  consciousness  of  His  approval,  and  the 
sense   of  meeting   His  highest,   fullest   thought. 

This,  beloved,  is  the  secret  of  many  an  experience 
which  you  have  not  perhaps  understood.  This  is  the 
explanation  of  that  depression  that  sometimes  falls  upon 
your  Iieart  and  brings  the  tears  gushing  to  your  eyes, 
or  makes  you  bury  your  head  in  your  hands  and  pour 
out  a  supplication  which  you  cannot  comprehend.  He 
sees  some  need,  some  peril,  which  you  cannot  compre- 
hend, and  He  is  praying  against  some  evil  which  some 
day  you  will  know.  When  you  are  about  to  take  a 
false  step,  to  enter  upon  a  wrong  path,  to  miss  some 
important  call,  or  to  be  deceived  by  some  subtle  wile  of 
Satan,  He  is  there  to  pray  the  prayer  within  you  which 
may  be  only  a  groan  that  cannot  be  uttered;  but  if 
you  are  wise  you  will  yield  to  it,  and  you  will  answer 
to  His  touch.  Often  it  is  a  prayer  for  some  other  life, 
some  soul  in  peril,  somebody  in  dire  distress  or  disease, 
some  cause  that  needs  assistance,  some  wrong  that  needs 
resistance,  some  need  of  the  Master's  heart  which  He  is 
letting  you  share  with  Him. 

Oh,  to  be  more  sensitive  to  His  voice,  and  more  obedi- 
ent to  the  prayer  of  the  Holy  Ghost!  Then  we  should 
miss  nothing  of  His  highest  will,  and  our  life  would  be 
all  sunshine  in  the  presence  of  the  Lord. 

Now,  what  is  the  prayer  of  the  Holy  Ghost! 


254 


POWEE  FROM   ON  HIGH 


1.  The  Holy  Ghost  lays  upon  us  the  desire  and  b"'.irden 
of  prayer.  Sometimes  we  understand  it;  sometimes  we 
do  not.  Sometimes  it  is  a  joyful  consciousness  of  s[)irit- 
ual  elevation ;  sometimes  it  is  an  unutterable  and  inar- 
ticulate groan.  Sometimes  it  is  a  definite  sense  of  need, 
a  consciousness  of  personal  defect,  or  a  heart-searching 
sense  of  our  own  emptiness  and  failure.  It  is  a  blessed 
thing  to  ''hunger  and  thirst  after  righteousness,"  The 
sense  of  need  is  the  shadow  side  of  the  blessing.  Let 
us  thank  the  H0I3'  Ghost  when  He  gives  us  the  burden  of 
prayer. 

It  was  God's  highest  commendation  of  Daniel  of  old 
that  he  was  "a  Man  of  Desires,"  and  it  is  the  promise  of 
God  that  if  we  deliglit  in  the  Lord  ''He  will  give  to  us 
the  desires  of  our  herrt.'"' 

2.  The  Holy  Ghost  enables  us  to  pray  according  to 
the  will  of  God.  He  give;;:,  as  direction  in  our  prayers. 
He  saves  us  from  wasting  our  breath  and  asking  at 
random.  He  illuninates  our  mind  to  understand  the 
Scriptural  foundations  of  prayer,  and  makes  us  under- 
stand the  things  that  are  agreeable  to  the  will  of  God, 
enabling  us  to  ask  with  confidence  that  it  is  His  will,  and 
that  we  have  the  petitions  that  w<}  desired  of  Him. 

Mr,  George  Muller  often  says  that  it  takes  him  much 
longer  to  decide  vvhat  he  is  to  pray  about,  than  to  obtain 
the  answer  to  his  prayer  when  he  does  present  his 
p'^tition. 

3.  The  Holy  Ghost  gives  us  access  into  the  presence 
of  God.  He  creates  for  us  the  atmosphere  of  prayer. 
He  gives  us  the  fiense  of  the  Father's  presence.  Ho 
leads  us  to  the  door  of  mercj^  and  steadies  our  hand  as 
we  hold  Out  the  sceptre  of  prayer,  and  reveals  to  us  that 
inner  world  of  divine  things  which  iionc  but  he  tluit  feels 
it,  knows. 

4.  The  Holy  Ghost  enables  us  to  praj^  in  the  name  of 
Jesus,  He  shows  us  our  redemption  rights  through  the 
.Treat  Ivlediator,  nnd  coming  in  His  name  we  can  ask 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  JUDE 


255 


(urden 
[les  we 
si)irit- 
l  iiiar- 
['  need, 
rcliiug 
jlessed 
'  The 
;.  Let 
'den  of 

of  old 
iiise  of 
e  to  us 

ling  to 
rayer-H. 
:ing  at 
nd  the 
nndcr- 
t'  God, 
11,  and 
n. 

much 

obtain 

int   his 

'esence 
prayer. 
Ho 
jmd  as 
lis  that 
tt  feels 

lime  of 
jh  the 
in  ask 


even  as  He,  and  humbly,  yet  confidently  claim,  *  *  Father, 
I  thanl^  Thee  that  Thou  hast  heard  nie,  and  I  know  that 
Thou  hearest  Me  always." 

5.  The  Holy  Ghost  enables  us  to  pray  in  faith,  "for 
He  that  cometh  unto  God,  must  believe  that  He  is,  and 
that  He  is  the  rewarder  of  those  that  diligently  seek 
Him." 

He  enables  us  when  we  pray  to  "believe  that  we  re- 
ceive the  things  that  we  ask,"  and  to  rest  in  the  Master's 
word,  without  anxiety  or  fear.  He  witnesses  to  the 
heart  the  quiet  assurance  of  acceptance  and  He  sustains 
us  in  the  trial  of  our  faith  which  follows,  enabling  us 
still  to  trust  and  not  be  afraid. 

6.  The  Holy  Ghost  enables  us  to  pray  the  prayer  of 
love,  as  well  as  the  prayer  of  faith.  The  Holy  Ghost 
leads  us  into  the  dignity  and  power  of  our  holy  priest- 
hood, lajdng  upon  us  the  burdens  of  the  Great  High 
Priest,  and  permitting  us  to  be  partakers  of  "that  which 
remaineth  of  the  sufferings  of  Christ  for  His  Body,  the 
Church.  '  In  this  blessed  ministry  w^e  are  often  made 
conscious  of  the  needs  of  others,  and  permitted  to  hold 
up  some  suffering  or  tempted  life  in  the  hour  of  peril; 
and  we  shall  find  some  day  that  many  a  life  was  saved, 
many  a  victory  won,  and  many  a  blessing  enjoyed 
through  this  hallowed  ministry  that  reaches  those  we 
love  by  way  of  the  throne,  when  we  never  could  have 
reached  them  directly. 

When  we  become  wholly  emancipated  from  our  own 
selfish  cares  and  worries,  and  fully  at  leisure  for  the 
burdens  of  the  Master,  the  Spirit  is  glad  to  lay  upon  us 
the  needs  of  the  multitudes  of  God's  people,  and  the 
burdens  of  the  whole  Church  and  Kingdom  of  Christ, 
80  that  it  is  possible  to  have  a  ministry  as  wide  as  the 
world,  and  as  high  as  that  of  our  great  High  Priest,  be- 
fore the  Throne. 

7.  The  Holy  Ghost  leads  us  into  the  spirit  of  com- 
munion, so  that  wiien  we  have  nothing  to  ask  we  are 


256 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


held  in  the  blessed  silence  and  wordless  fellowship  in 
the  bosom  of  God.  This  should  become  the  very  at- 
mosphere of  our  being. 

Finally,  as  we  thus  "pray  in  the  Holy  Ghost"  we 
shall  be  enabled  to  "build  ourselves  up  on  our  most 
holy  faith,"  we  shall  "keep  ourselves  in  the  love  of 
God, ' '  and  we  shall  ' '  look ' '  in  heavenly  vision  *  *  for  the 
mercy  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  unto  eternal  life." 
And  the  benediction  of  this  beautiful  epistle  shall  be 
fulfilled  in  our  lives.  "Now  unto  Him  who  is  able 
to  keep  you  from  stumbling,  and  to  present  you  fault- 
less before  the  presence  of  His  glory  with  exceeding 
joy,  To  the  only  wise  God  our  Saviour,  be  glory  and 
majesty,  dominion  and  power,  both  now  and  forever. 
Amen." 


ship  in 
ery  at- 


.  >> 


ist  we 
ir  most 
love  of 
'for  the 
L  life." 
jhall  be 
is  able 
11  fault- 
:ceeding 
)ry  and 
forever. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 
THE  SEVENFOLD  HOLY  GHOST. 


*'l  was  in  the  Spirit  on  the  Lord's  day." — Rev.  1:  10. 

'  *  The  seven  Spirits  which  are  before  his  throne. ' ' — Rev.  1 :  4. 

"And  before  the  throne  seven  lamps  of  fire,  which  ai-e  the 
seven  Spirits  of  God." — Rev.  4:  5. 

"Having  seven  horns  and  seven  eyes,  which  are  the  seven 
Spirits  of  God  sent  forth  into  all  the  earth. ' ' — Rev.  5 :  6. 

THE  book  of  Revelation  is  the  last  message  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  to  the  Church  of  Christ.  It  was  given 
after  the  first  generation  of  Christians  had  passed 
away,  and  only  John  was  left  of  all  the  immediate 
followers  of  the  Lord.  Christ  had  been  half  a  century 
in  heaven,  and  lie  came  back  once  more  to  visit  the 
Apostle  at  Patmos,  and  give  the  final  unfolding  of  His 
will  to  His  followers  of  these  last  days  of  the  dispen- 
sation. It  is  peculiarly,  tlierefore,  the  message  of 
Christ  to  us,  and  it  is  called  in  the  Apocalypse  itself, 
the  message  of  **the  Spirit  unto  the  churches." 

In  the  passages  that  come  before  us  now  we  have  a 
picture  of  the  Holy  Ghost  Himself  as  He  came  to  John 
in  this  Apocalypse. 

I. 

THE  SEVENFOLD  FULLNESS  OF  THE  SPIRIT. 

The  seven  Spirits  which  are  before  the  throne  cannot 
mean  any  created  spirit,  for  it  would  be  blasphemy  to 
associate  any  lower  beings  than  divine  persons  with  the 
Father  and  the  Son  in  the  ascription  of  glory  and  wor- 
ship given  to  the  Trinity  in  this  passage. 

It  is  evidently  the  Holy  Ghost  represented  as  a  seven- 
fold Spirit.  Seven,  tlie  number  of  perfection,  is  used  to 
denote  the  perfect  fullness  of  the  divine  Spirit  in  His 
attributes  and  works.     He  is  the  Spirit  of  all  power 

257 
17 


258 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


and  wisdom,  all  life  and  love,  all  grace  and  fullness, 
all  that  we  can  ever  need  for  the  fulfilling  of  life's 
duties  and  the  accomplishing  of  God's  perfect  will  for 
each  of  us. 

We  might  stop  to  specify  the  seven  great  attributes 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  as  the  Spirit  of  Light,  the  Spirit 
of  Life,  the  Spirit  of  Holiness,  the  Spirit  of  Power,  the 
Spirit  of  Joy,  the  Spirit  of  Love  and  the  Spirit  of  Hope  j 
but  when  we  have  named  these  seven  glorious  aspects 
there  are  yet  as  many  more  that  we  might  still  name, 
for,  like  the  love  of  Jesus,  the  love  and  grace  of  the  Holy 
Ghost   pass   our   knowledge. 

Can  you  think  of  anything  you  need  for  your  spiritual 
life,  your  physical  being,  or  your  service  for  God  and 
man  T  You  can  fijid  it  in  the  Holy  Ghost.  Is  there  any 
place  where  you  have  failed,  or  others  have  failed? 
That  is  just  the  place  that  He  is  equal  to  with  the  grace 
that  never  fails.  * '  He  hath  given  to  us  all  things  that 
PERTAIN  TO  LIFE  AND  GODLINESS/'  and  "He  is  able  to 
make  all  grace  abound  unto  us,  so  that  we  always,  hav- 
ing all  sufficiency  in  all  things,  may  abound  unto  every 
good   work." 

Then  the  mention  of  the  seven  Spirits  in  connection 
with  the  seven  Churches  would  seem  to  suggest  the 
beautiful  truth  that  there  is  a  separate  aspect  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  for  each  separate  Church.  He  is  not  the 
same  to  all;  He  is  direct  and  specific  in  His  relation 
to  His  Churches  and  to  His  people,  and  the  whole  of  His 
love  and  grace  is  given  distinctively  to  each  one.  Just 
as  a  fond  mother  with  a  dozen  children  gives  her  whole 
heart  to  each  of  her  children,  so  the  Holy  Ghost  gives 
Himself  to  each  of  us  specifically,  and  you  and  I  can 
press  up  to  the  place  where  John  lies  upon  the  Re- 
deemer's breast,  and  dare  to  call  ourselves  the  "disciple 
whom  Jesus  loved." 

Beloved  are  we  fully  proving  the  sevenfold  Holy 
Ghost  t 


T 
t 


THE  SEVENFOLD  HOLY  GHOST 


259 


Holy 


n. 

THE  FULLNESS  OP  THE  SPIRIT  OF  LIGHT. 

"Seven  lamps  of  fire  before  the  Throne. — Rev.  4:5, 

This  is  a  picture  of  the  fullness  of  the  Spirit  of  light. 
It  comes  in  the  midst  of  a  scene  of  grandeur  and  terror. 
A  door  is  opened  in  heaven,  and  John  beholds  the  throne 
of  che  eternal  Jehovah,  surrounded  with  the  insignia 
of  majesty  and  the  manifestations  of  God's  avenging 
wrath  and  power. 

Judgment  is  about  to  begin  upon  a  wicked  world,  and 
the  spirits  of  wickedness  that  have  so  long  possessed  it. 
There  are  voices  of  thunder  and  lightnings  of  wrath 
gleaming  from  the  central  throne,  but  in  the  midst  ap- 
pear these  seven  lampa  of  fire,  shedding  their  benignant 
light  upon  the  lurid  scene,  and  immediately  all  is  trans- 
formed. Before  the  throne  is  a  sea  of  glass  like  unto 
crystal,  and  the  scene  of  judgment  becomes  changed  to 
one  of  peace.  And  then  *'the  Lamb  in  the  midst  of  the 
throne"  appears,  and  the  songs  of  the  whole  creation 
arise  to  God  and  to  the  Lamb. 

These  seven  lamps  before  the  throne  remind  us  of  the 
vision  of  Zechariah  in  the  fourth  chapter  of  His 
prophecy,  representing  the  Holy  Ghost  as  the  sevenfold 
light  of  the  Church,  and  the  oil  of  that  supplies  the 
ever-burning  lamps.  We  have  no  other  light  but  the 
Holy  Ghost,  and  His  is  perfect  light,  sevenfold  eftul- 
gence,  shining  upon  every  mystery,  every  perplexity, 
and  every  step  in  life's  pathway. 

He  gives  to  us  the  light  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  re- 
vealing the  mercy  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  for  our  sal- 
vation, and  the  will  of  God  for  our  conduct.  He  is 
the  light  of  life,  giving  guidance  in  our  pathway,  and 
showing  us  how  to  walk  through  the  tangled  mazes  of 
life.  He  is  the  Light  that  searches  and  reveals  our 
heart,  and  then  shows  us  the  precious  blood  that  cleanses, 
and  the  promise  suited  for  every  time  of  need.     He  is 


260 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


the  perfect  Light  that  never  deceives,  that  never  ex- 
aggerates, that  never  evades  or  hides  the  most  painful 
truth,  that  never  changes,  fails  or  leaves  us  in  darkness. 
And  He  is  not  only  the  Liglit,  but  He  is  also  Peace 
and  warmth,  He  is  "a  burning,"  as  well  as  '*a  shining 
Light."  He  gives  life  as  well  as  light,  power  as  well 
as  direttion,  love  as  well  as  truth,  and  when  we  receive 
His  light  we  become  also  "burning  and  shining  lights," 
and  our  lives  will  be  living  illustrations  of  the  truths 
that  we  profess  and  the  principles  that  we  hold. 


m. 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  AS  THE  SOURCE  OF  PERFECT  SIGHT. 


a- 


Having  seven  horns  and  seven  eyes  which  are  the 
seven  Spirits  of  God  sent  forth  into  all  the  earth." — 
Rev.  5 :  6. 

This  is  the  most  sublime  vision  of  the  Tjord  Jesus 
Christ  in  the  whole  book  of  Revelation.  As  the  evangelist 
stands  looking  into  heaven,  he  beholds  a  scroll  con 
taining,  it  would  secern,  the  purpose  and  the  will  of  God 
for  the  future  ages,  sealed.  No  man  in  earth  or  heaven 
was  able  to  open  the  scroll,  or  loose  the  seals.  Suddenly 
an  angel  turning  to  him,  explained  that  the  mystery  was 
about  to  be  solved  and  that  One  had  been  found  that 
was  able  to  loose  the  seals  and  open  the  scroll.  It  was 
the  Lion  of  the  tribe  of  Judah,  who  had  prevailed  to 
loose  the  seals  ''and  open  the  book." 

As  John  stood  looking  for  the  Lion,  lo!  it  was  a 
Lamb,  bearing  the  crimson  marks  of  suffering  and  death, 
and  yet,  on  closer  inspection,  wearing  also  the  insignia 
of  infinite  power  and  wisdom,  for  he  had  seven  horns 
and  seven  eyes,  the  types  of  perfect  power  and  perfect 
knowledge. 

These  seven  eyes  represent  the  seven  Spirits  of  God, 
that  is  the  seven-fold  Spirit  of  God,  sent  forth  into  all 
the  earth.    We  need  more  than  light ;   we  need  sight  to 


I 


THE  SEVENFOLD  HOLY  GHOST 


261 


>> 


see  the  light,  the  power  of  an  inward  illumination,  the 
creation  and  quickening  of  a  new  set  of  spiritual  senses 
that  can  take  cognizance  of  the  new  spiritual  realities 
that  the  Holy  Ghost  reveals,  and  that  can  recognize  the 
person  ;.nd  the  presence  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  whom  it  is 
the  Spirit's  great  delight  to  make  manifest.  And  so 
the  Holy  Ghost  is  represented  here  as  the  eyes  of  Christ, 
the  eyes  of  God  within  us  for  our  illumination. 

This  suggests  the  beautiful  expression  in  one  of  the 
Psalms,  **I  will  guide  thee  with  Mine  eye."  God  gives 
us  His  very  eyes,  and  in  His  light  enables  us  to  see 
all  spiritual  truth  and  all  divine  realities.  Therefore, 
it  is  quite  significant  that  when  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
had  revealed  Himself  in  the  Gospel  of  John  as  the  light 
of  the  world.  He  immediately  follows  His  beautiful 
teaching  b}'"  healing  a  blind  man,  thus  suggesting  to 
them  that  what  they  needed  was  vision,  even  more  than 
truth.  And  then  He  proceeded  to  tell  them  that  He 
had  come  into  the  world,  ''that  they  which  see  might 
be  made  blind,  and  they  that  were  blind  might  see," 
and  that  their  very  confidence  in  their  own  wisdom  was 
the  cause  of  their  blindness  and  their  inability  to  under- 
stand His  teaching. 

This  is  what  the  Holy  Ghost  brings  to  us,  the  vision 
of  the  Lord,  power  to  see  divine  things  as  God  sees 
them.  Not  only  does  He  give  us  the  knowledge  of  th^ 
truth,  but  the  realization  of  it.  Not  only  does  He  reveal 
to  us  the  promises,  but  He  enables  us  to  appropriate 
them.  Not  only  does  He  show  us  the  living  bread  and 
the  flowing  water  of  life,  but  He  opens  our  mouth  to 
drink,  and  gives  us  the  taste  to  receive  and  know  the 
blessedness  of  these  things.  Not  only  does  He  speak  to 
US;  He  speaks  through  us,  thinks  in  us,  gives  us  divine 
instincts  and  intuitions,  and  enables  even  our  own 
sanctified  judgment  to  act  under  His  influence  and  by 
His  suggestion,  so  simply  and  yet  so  perfectly  that  it 
is  not  so  much  God  speaking  to  us,  as  God  speaking 


Lii 


262 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


through  US,  and  "working  in  us  to  will  and  to  do  of 
His  good  pleasure." 

These  seven  eyes,  we  will  notice,  are  the  eyes  of  the 
Lamb  as  well  as  the  eyes  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Perfect 
unity  between  the  Spirit  and  the  Son  is  most  strikingly 
expressed  in  this  strong  and  sublime  figure.  The  seven 
horns  represent  the  power  of  the  enthroned  Christ  and 
the  seven  eyes  represent  the  wisdom  of  the  indwelling 
Holy  Ghost.  Between  these  horns  and  eyes,  between 
the  infinite  power  of  Jesus  and  the  infinite  wisdom  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  how  can  we  ever  fall  or  fail? 

Let  us  ever  recognize  the  Holy  Ghost  as  the  Spirit 
of  Jesus,  and  let  us  ever  honor  the  slain  Lamb,  as  we 
honor  the  Holy  Ghost. 

Again,  the  eyes  of  the  Lord  are  represented  as  *'sent 
forth  into  all  the  earth."  The  Holy  Ghost  is  operating 
not  from  heaven,  but  from  earth.  The  infinite  wisdom 
of  God  is  present  with  His  Church  to  direct,  guard, 
and  energize  all  her  work  for  Him,  until  the  mystery 
of  redemption  shall  be  accomplished,  until  the  seals  of 
the  scroll  sliall  all  have  been  opened,  and  the  vision 
all  fulfilled  in  the  glorious  return  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  as  the  Lion  o^  the  tribe  of  Judah. 


IV. 
IN  THE  SPIRIT  ON  THE  LORD's  DAY. 

Having  given  us  this  account  of  the  fullness  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  he  next  speaks  of  His  relation  to  us.  John 
says,  *'I  was  in  the  Spirit."  Observe  he  does  not  say — 
The  Spirit  was  in  me.  This  is  also  true  but  the  other 
expresses  a  greater  truth.  A  Spirit  so  sevenfold,  so 
vast  in  His  resources  and  attributes,  is  too  large  even  for 
the  whole  of  the  human  heart,  therefore,  he  becomes  an 
ocean  of  boundless  fullness  in  which  we  are  submerged 
and  in  which  we  dwell.  As  we  listen  to  the  expression 
it  seems  as  if  we  vere  standing  beside  a  spring,  and 


THE  SEVENFOLD  HOLY  GHOST 


263 


we  drank  from  it  until  we  were  filled.  Then  it  still  kept 
flowing  on  until  it  became  a  pool,  and  then  an  ocean,  a 
great  and  boundless  flood  into  which  we  were  plunged  un- 
til we  could  find  neither  fathoming  line  nor  shore,  but 
laved  and  drank,  until  we  were  lost  in  the  ocean  of 
His  infinite  fullness.  This  is  the  divine  conception.  The 
Holy  Ghost  is  the  very  element  and  atmosphere  in  which 
we  live,  as  the  mote  in  the  sunbeam,  as  the  bird  in  the 
air,  as  the  fish  in  the  sea,  as  our  lungs  in  the  ether 
whose  oxygen  we  inhale,  and  on  whose  breath  we  live. 
Not  only  are  we  filled  with  the  air  by  a  single  inspira- 
tion, but  the  air  is  all  around  us  still,  and  we  can  breathe 
and  breathe  and  breathe  again,  and  yet  again,  until  it 
becomes  the  source  of  our  ceaseless  life,  and  only  lim- 
ited by  our  capacity  to  receive  it. 

It  is  our  privilege  not  only  to  be  thus  in  the  Spirit 
in  seasons  of  holy  rapture  and  special  elevation,  but 
we  may  dwell  there,  abiding  in  Him  and  He  in  us,  so 
that  it  shall  be  true,  indeed,  in  a  spiritual  sense  *4n 
Him  we  live  and  move  and  have  our  being."  Then 
will  every  day  be  "the  Lord's  day";  then  will  all  life 
be  one  ceaseless  Sabbath,  of  holy  rest  and  heavenly 
fellowship,  and  every  place  be  a  sanctuary,  every  season 
a  Sabbath,  and  every  moment  a  heaven  of  peace  and  joy 
and  love. 

"Come  blessed,   holy,   heavenly   Dove, 
Spirit   of   light   and   life   and   love, 

Revive  our  souls  we  pray, 
Come  with  the  power  of  Pentecost, 
Come   as   the   sevenfold   Holy   Ghost 

And  fill  our  hearts  today." 


m: 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

THE  SPIRIT'S  MESSAGE  TO  THE  CHURCHES. 

"lie  that  hath  an  oar,  let  him  hear  what  the  Spirit  saith  unto 
the  churches. ' ' — Rev.  3 :  22. 

THE  seven  letters  of  the  Lord  Jesus  to  the  seven 
churches  of  Asia  contain  the  last  message  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  to  the  Churches  of  the  Christian  age. 
These  messages  were  not  addressed  to  the  Apostolic 
Church;  for  all  the  apostles  except  John  were  already 
in  heaven,  and  the  first  two  generations  of  Christians 
had  passed  away.  In  a  very  pecidiar  sensr^  Miese  epistles 
represent  the  message  of  the  risen  Savioui  id  the  Holy 
Ghost  to  the  Churches  of  the  last  days  and  our  own 
times.  While  they  are  the  words  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Himself,  they  are  also  represented,  in  that  perfect  unity 
which  the  Scriptures  constantly  recognize  between  the 
Spirit  and  the  Son,  as  the  words  which  the  Spirit 
saith  unto  the  Churches. 

A  short  circuit  through  the  western  part  of  Asia 
Minor  would  take  one  in  the  order  of  these  epistles  from 
Ephesus  to  Smyrna,  and  thence  to  Pergamos,  Thyatira, 
and  the  other  cities  mentioned.  It  has  been  supposed 
by  many  thoughtful  interpreters,  that  these  Churches 
represent  in  chronological  order  tlie  successive  condi- 
tions of  Christianity  from  the  time  of  John  to  the  end 
of  the  age.  This  is  doubtless  true  to  a  certain  extent. 
Ephesus,  strong  in  its  orthodoxy,  zeal  and  Christian 
work,  represented  the  Church  immediately  after  the  apos- 
tolic age.  Smyrna,  persecuted  and  suffering,  represented 
the  next  epoch  of  persecution  and  martyrdom.  Then 
came  the  reaction  of  Pergamos,  the  prosperous  and 
worldly  Church  with  its  greater  perils  and  temptations 
representing  the  period  of  Constantine,  when  Christian- 

264 


f 


THE  SPIRIT'S  MESSAGE  TO  THE  CinJRCHES     265 


ity  was  the  established  religion  of  the  State,  and  the 
world  had  ceased  to  oppose  and  exchanged  her  perse- 
cuting frown  for  the  fawning  smile  of  seductive  pleas- 
ure. 

The  Church  at  Thyatini  represents  the  next  stage,  the 
rise  of  spiritual  corruption,  and  especially  of  the  Romish 
apostasy.  This  s  naturally  followed  by  Sard  is,  a  condi- 
tion of  entire  spiritual  doath,  which  well  represents  the 
darkness  and  death  of  the  middle  ages. 

Philadelphia  follows,  feeble,  but  true,  loyal  to  Christ 's 
word  and  name,  and  receiving  His  approval  and  bene- 
diction. This  represents  the  Keformation  era,  the  cause 
of  that  and  the  revival  of  spiritual  life  and  power 
under  Luther,  Cranmer,  Knox,  Doddridge,  Baxter,  and 
the  religious  life  and  deeper  spiritual  movements  which 
have  been  going  forward,  in  a  blessed  minority  of  the 
Churches  of  Christ,  during  these  later  centuries. 

There  is  yet  one  picture  more,  it  is  the  Church  of  the 
Laodiceans,  rich,  prosperous,  self-satisfied,  widely  re- 
epectable,  but  thoroughly  lukewarm,  indilTerent,  and 
deeply  offensive  to  the  heart  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
He  standsi  as  One  outside  the  door,  knocking  for  ad- 
mission, warning  of  coming  judgment,  and  soon  to  re- 
turn again  and  sit  down  upon  His  Millennial  throne. 
Surely  this  represents  the  Church  of  today,  and  the  still 
more  worldly  Church  of  the  immediate  future,  the  last 
age  of  Christianity  before  the  coming  of  the  Lord. 

Now,  while  the  picture  is  chronologically  true,  at  the 
same  time  each  of  these  Churches  represents  a  condi- 
tion of  things  that  is  permanent  and  perpetual  to  the 
time  of  the  end.  While  Ephesus  represents  the  first 
ages  of  Christianity,  yet  it  is  found  all  the  way  through. 
While  Philadelphia  represents  the  dawn  of  the  Reforma- 
tion, yet  the  spirit  of  Philadelphia  runs  on,  and  the  rep- 
resentatives of  true  revival  and  vital  Christianity 
are  found  to  the  close,  and  so  all  these  Churches  are 
concurrent  as  well  as  successive. 


266 


POWER  FROM   ON  HIGH 


They  represent  seven  conditions  of  Christianity  which 
may  almost  always  be  found  in  some  quarter  of  Christen- 
dom, and  to  which  the  Holy  Ghost  is  speaking  His  last 
solemn  message  of  warning,  reproof,  or  promise.  Let 
us  look  at  them  in  this  light. 


I. 

THE  spirit's  message  to  the  strong  church. 

The  Church  at  Ephesus  was  a  strong  Church.  It  was 
full  of  good  works.  **I  know  thy  works,"  and  not  only 
thy  works,  "thy  labor" — works  that  cost  something, 
*  *  and  thy  patience ' ' — works  that  are  continuous.  It  was 
an  orthodox  and  a  jealous  Church,  which  stood  firmly 
for  what  it  believed  to  be  the  truth,  and  it  withstood 
without  compromise  all  that  was  false  and  counterfeit. 
"Thou  hast  tried  these  that  call  themselves  Apostles, 
and  are  not,  and  hast  found  them  liars."  This  is  a  very 
high  testimony,  and  one  W(  tild  think  that  a  Church  of 
which  the  Master  can  say  so  much,  must  be  considerably 
in  advance  even  of  the  average  standing.  But  the  Lord 
is  not  satisfied  with  Ephesus.  The  Spirit's  message  is 
one  of  the  deepest  searching  and  condemnation.  Our 
English  version  poorly  expresses  the  emphatic  meaning 
of  this  condemnation.  It  is  not  "I  have  somewhat  against 
thee,"  but  rather  "I  have  against  thee."  I  have  so 
much  against  thee,  that  if  thou  dost  not  change  this 
cause  of  offence  and  reproof  I  cannot  bear  thee;  I  will 
not  suffer  thee;  "I  will  come  unto  thoe  and  remove  the 
candlestick  out  of  its  place,  except  thou  repent." 

What  was  this  grave  charge?  What  was  this  solemn 
omission?  "Thou  hast  left  thy  first  love."  It  was  the 
lack  of  love,  the  lack  of  fervor,  the  lack  of  devotion 
to  the  person  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  They  had  the 
active  and  the  orthodox  element,  but  they  had  not  the 
heart  life,  without  which  all  these  are  but  empty  forms, 
and  for  which  Christ  will  accept  no  substitute. 


THE  SPIRIT'S  MESSAGE  TO  THE  CHURCHES      267 


7  which 
liristen- 
3is  last 
e.    Let 


H. 

It  was 

ot  only 

lething, 

It  was 

firmly 

thstood 

iterfeit. 

postles, 

a  very 

iirch  of 

derably 

le  Lord 

;sage  is 

Our 

eaning 

against 

ave  so 

Ige  this 

I  will 

ive  the 

t." 

solemn 
i^as  the 
jvotion 
ad  the 
lot  the 
forms, 


You  do  not  marry  a  wife  to  do  your  cooking  and 
washing  as  an  African  savage,  but  to  be  your  companion, 
and  to  give  you  the  devotion  of  her  heart.  If  she  were 
to  excuse  her  want  of  love,  by  the  fact  that  she  had 
so  much  work  to  do,  you  would  tell  her  that  a  servant 
could  do  your  work,  but  only  a  wife  could  give  you  the 
love  for  which  your  heart  longs.  This  is  what  Jesus  asks 
from  His  Church,  and  He  will  take  nothing  else  instead. 
What  is  this  first  love?  Is  it  the  intense  dcraonstra- 
tiveness  which  n'e  manifest  at  our  conversion,  that  glad 
overflowing,  perhaps  over-effervescent  devotion  of  child- 
hood, which  passes  into  sober  and  earnest  but  quiet 
habits  of  faithfulness  and  obedience?  And  are  we  to 
accept  His  reproof  if  we  do  not  always  feel  the  excite- 
ment of  our  first  experiences?  Certainly  not.  First 
love  does  not  mean  the  love  we  have  first  had  when 
we  were  converted,  because  He  wants  us  to  have  some- 
thing better  as  the  days  go  by.  It  is  not  first  in  the 
order  of  time,  but  it  is  first  in  the  order  of  importance. 
He  means  the  love  that  puts  Him  first,  the  love  that 
gives  Him  the  supreme  place,  the  love  that  makes  Him 
the  first  waking  consciousness,  and  the  last  thought  as 
we  fall  asleep  at  night,  the  supreme  joy  of  all  our  being, 
the  gladly  accepted  sovereign  of  our  will  and  all  our 
actions,  and  the  One  apart  from  whom  we  have  and 
want  nothing;  the  first  and  last  of  our  heart's  affec- 
tions, and  our  life's  aim.  This  is  what  Christ  expects, 
and  without  this  love  our  noblest  liberality,  our  loftiest 
zeal,  our  busiest  work,  is  but  a  sounding  brass,  a  tink- 
ling cymbal,  and  a  disappointing  mockery  to  His  loving 
heart. 

This  is  the  first  and  the  last  message  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  to  these  seven  Churches.  Jesus  wants  your  love. 
A  dear  Christian  friend  once  passed  through  a  peculiar 
experience.  It  seemed  to  her  as  if  Christ  was  not  satis- 
fied with  her  life,  and  so  she  began  to  plan  for  more 
work.    She  added  another  Sunday  School  class,  another 


268 


POWER  FROiSI  ON  HIGH 


Ladies'  Society,  a  few  more  hours  of  laborious  work,  and 
stili  she  was  not  satisfied.  Month  after  month  the 
hunger  grew,  and  the  sense  of  disappointment  only  in- 
creased. 

At  last  she  threw  herself  before  Him,  and  said,  "Lord, 
will  you  not  show  me  what  it  is  You  want?  What 
more  can  I  do  to  pleaise  You?"  And  then  a  gentle 
voice  seemed  to  whisper  to  her,  **It  is  not  more  work 
I  want,  but  more  love,  and  I  want  you  to  work  less 
and  love  Me  more."  ijid  as  she  let  herself  fall  into 
His  loving  arms,  and  learned  to  lean  upon  His  breast, 
and  sit  like  Mary  at  His  feet,  while  Martha  was  bustling 
arourj  with  her  busy  work,  she  found  that  what  the 
Master  wanted  was  her  heart,  and  her  first  love.  *'He 
that  hath  an  ear,  let  him  hear  what  the  Spirit  saith 
Junto  the  churches." 

n. 

THh  spirit's  message  TO  THE  SUFFERING  CHURCH. 

Rev.  2:8-11 

The  Church  in  Smyrna  was  a  martyr  Church.  It 
represents  the  suffering  people  of  God  in  every  age. 
It  is  not  always  outward  fire.  There  is  a  keener  pain 
in  the  white  heat  of  inward  trial,  and  there  are  sorrows 
still  for  human  hearts  to  bear,  as  piercing  as  in  tho 
martyr  ddys.  What  is  the  Spirit's  message  to  the  suf- 
fering church?  **Be  thou  faithful  unto  death,  and  I 
vill  give  thee  the  crown  of  life."  Do  not  get  out  of  your 
trouble  as  easily  and  as  quickly  as  you  can  by  any  pos- 
sible means,  but  rather  be  faithful  in  your  trouble,  be 
faithful  even  if  it  kills  you;  be  faithful  not  until  death, 
but  U7ito  death,  faithful  even  at  the  co.st  of  death  itself. 
The  great  temptation  to  the  tried  ones  is  to  regard  de- 
liverance from  trouble  as  the  principal  thing. 

How  noble  the  example  of  the  men  of  Babylon  in 
contrast  with  this!  "If  it  be  so,"  they  said,  *'our  God 
ife  able  to  deliver  us,  and  He  will  deliver  us  out  of  thy 


hs 
ki 

go 
tr 
wi 


THE  SPIRIT'S  MESSAGE  TO  THE  CHURCHES      269 


hand,  oh  king;  but  if  not,  be  it  known  unto  thee,  oh 
king,  that  we  will  not  serve  thy  gods,  nor  worship  the 
golden  image  which  thou  hast  set  up."  That  is  the 
true  attitude  of  faithfulness,  to  stand  like  Christ  in  the 
wilderness,  refusing  the  devil's  help,  until  God  Himself 
shall  set  us  free,  or  accept  the  sacrifice  at  its  fullest 
cost.  This  is  the  greatest  need  of  today,  the  backkKjne 
and  the  royal  blood  of  self-sacrificing  loyalty  +o  principle 
and  to  God.  "When  the  Holy  Ghost  can  fiiid  such  men 
and  wonen,  He  can  accomplish  anything  by  them. 


in. 

THE  spirit's   message  TO   THE  WORLDLY  CHURCH. 

This  is  represented  by  Pergamos. — Rev.  2 :  12-17. 

This  Church  dwelt  where  Satan's  seat  wiis,  and  Satan's 
throne  U  in  the  world.  Its  special  danger  was  the 
doctrine  of  Balaam,  the  temptation  to  go  to  worldly 
banquet  with  the  great  and  influential,  to  eat  of  things 
sacrificed  to  idols,  and  to  indulge  in  unholy  pleasure, 
holding  the  doctrine  of  the  Nicolaitanes — the  form  of 
godliness,  and  yet  the  liberty  to  sin. 

This  is  the  peculiar  temptation  of  the  Church  of  today, 
to  hold  on  to  God  with  one  hand,  and  to  the  world 
with  the  other,  to  compromise  sterling  principle  for  the 
approval  of  the  influential  and  the  great,  to  go  to  their 
feasts,  keep  in  touch  with  social  arausemcnts,  to  retain 
their  influence  and  approval,  and  yet  pretend  to  be 
true  to  God.  In  contrast  with  the  forbidden  bread,  and 
the  forbidden  love  of  this  present  evil  world,  the  Holy 
Spirit  offers  something  better, — the  hidden  manna  of 
the  heavenly  banquet,  and  the  everlasting  love  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Ciirist,  represented  by  the  white  stone  with 
the  new  name  written  upon  it,  which  no  man  knoweth 
save  he  to  whom  it  is  given. 

Let  us  refuse  the  temptation  of  the  world's  bread  and 
the  world's  friendship,  and  some  day  we  shall  sit  down 


270 


POWER  FROM  ON   HIGH 


in  His  banqueting  house,  and  His  banner  over  us  will 
be  love  as  He  receives  us  to  the  Marriage  of  the  Lamb, 
and  gives  us  the  rapture  of  His  own  love,  one  thrill  of 
which  would  compensate  for  an  eternity  of  earthly  de- 
light. 

Beloved,  is  He  speaking  to  some  of  you?  Is  the 
world  plausibly  trying  to  win  you  to  a  worldly  life? 
"He  that  hath  an  ear,  let  him  hear  v;hat  the  Spirit 
saith  unto  the  churches." 


IV. 

THE   spirit's    message  TO    THE  CORRUPT  CHURCH. 

Thyatira  represents  the  age  of  corruption,  and  the 
counterfeit  life  of  the  wicked  one.  The  striking  phrase  { 
found  in  tliis  epistle — ''the  depths  of  featan" — well 
represents  the  abominable  mysteries  of  the  Papacy,  and 
the  kindred  perils  which  are  gathering  around  the 
church  in  these  last  days,  through  Satan's  counterfeits 
and  the   false   life  of  Thyatira. 

This  will  doubtless  increase  as  the  age  draws  to  its 
close.      There   will   be   false   prophets;    th'ere   will   be      i 
visions,     illuminations,     revelations,     "osophies"     and 
"isms"  yet  more  and  more. 

In  opposition  to  these,  the  Holy  Ghost  has  given  us 
a  safe  criterion  in  this  epistle,  "I  will  put  upon  you 
none  other  burden,  but  that  which  ye  have  already,  hold 
fast  till  I  come."  This  settles  the  whole  question.  There 
is  to  be  no  new  revelation,  no  new  Bible,  no  new  authori- 
tative voice  from  heaven.  We  have  it  all  now  in  the 
Holy  Scriptures,  and  all  we  have  to  do  is  "that  which  f 
we  have,  hold  fast  till  He  come." 

These  men  come  to  us  with  their  theosophies  and 
their  revelations,  telling  us,  as  the  serpent  told  Eve, 
of  higher  ]jfo  and  loftier  spiritual  planes;  but  it  is 
|)ie  false,  elusive  light  of  the  lamps  of  the  pit.  In 
knaw^ii*  }0  i\,  we  have  only  to  hold  up  the  word  of  God, 


THE  SPIRIT'S  MESSAGE  TO  THE  CHURCHES      271 

and  all  these  illusions  will  be  exposed,  even  as  the  sun- 
light not  only  chases  away  the  darkness  of  the  night,  but 
eclipses  the  feeble  torchlight  glare. 

In  contrast  with  all  this,  how  glorious  the  promise 
which  the  Spirit  gives  to  the  faithful  overcomer!  In 
opposition  to  the  devil  power  which  the  adversary  offers, 
and  the  false  light  of  his  revelations,  the  Lord  Jesus 
says,  "I  will  give  him  that  overcometh  power  over  the 
nations  in  the  millennial  kingdom,  at  My  second  coming 
and  the  true  light  of  the  Morning  Star,"  the  power  and 
the  light  which  are  from  above,  and  which  shall  be 
forever.  0,  beloved,  are  any  of  us  turning  our  eyes 
to  the  false  delusive  torchlights  of  error,  fanaticism, 
superstition  and  a  false  mysticism?  "He  that  hath  an 
ear  let  him  hear  what  the  Spirit  saith  onto  the  churches." 


is  and 
Eve, 

it    IS 

t.     In 
If  God, 


I 


V. 

THE  spirit's   message  TO  A  DEAD  CHURCH. 

Sardis  represents  the  culmination  of  all  that  has  gone 
before,  a  Church  which  has  a  name  to  live,  but  which 
is  really  dead.  "What  is  His  message  to  such  a  Church? 
Alas!  it  is  useless  to  speak  to  a  dead  Church,  but  He 
can  speak  only  to  the  remnant  that  is  still  alive  within 
it.  And  to  these  He  says,  *'I  have  a  few  names,  even 
in  Sardis,  that  have  not  defiled  their  garments;  and 
they  shall  walk  with  me  in  white,  for  they  are  worthy. ' ' 

If  God  has  placed  you  in  such  a  community,  you  can 
stand  faithful ;  you  can  live  in  vital  connection  with  Him, 
and  you  stand  as  a  true  confessor  of  Christ  where  all 
around  are  dead.  And  to  such  He  gives  a  glorious  prom- 
ise; "He  that  overcometh,  the  same  shall  be  clothed  in 
white  raiment ;  and  T  will  not  blot  out  His  name  out  of 
the  book  of  life,  but  I  will  confess  his  name  before  My 
Father,  and  before  H 


ingeh 


(( 


let  him  hear  what  the  Spirit  saith  unto  the  churches 


»» 


Beloved,  be  true,  though  you  stand  alouo,  aud  some 


272 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


!ii 


day  yoiv   will   hear   your   iiam«^    oonftamed   before   tlie 
Father's  throne. 

VI. 

THE  spirit's  MEB8AGE  TO  THE  LITTLE  FIX>OK  OP 
FAITHFUL  ONES. 

The  Church  :n  Philadelphia  meets  nothing  but  words 
of  approval  from  the  Lord.  It  is  the  little  Church,  it 
has  but  little  strength,  buc  it  has  been  faithful  in  two 
respects.  It  has  been  tru*^  to  Christ 'm  word  and  loyal 
to  His  name.  It  holds  its  l*^\m<>ny  cl^a^  and  true  to 
the  word  of  God  and  the  holy  H^jriptures,  *nd  in  con- 
trast with  ecclesiastical  names  aAMl  outward  forms,  it 
recognizes  and  honors  the  nafiSfce  of  tW  Jx/fd  Jesus  Christ 
The  holy  Scriptures  and  the  li/inj?  Ch-i^Jnt.,  th<^se  are  its 
testimonies.  It  is  easy  to  recogni//'  t}v  trm  evangelicel 
fioek  of  Christ  by  those  signs  in  fw;  ag<*«,  and  oa- 

pecially  in  these  last  days. 

In  contrast  with  higher  criticism,  d</^n  grades  and 
latitudinarian  views,  are  Vv'c  standing,  beloved,  for  the 
simple  authoritative,  unchanging  W^>rd  of  viod?  In 
contrast  with  all  other  names  ai-*;  v/f,  standing  for  the 
person,  the  divinity,  the  glory,  an/J  the  all-sufficient 
grace  of  the  living  Christ,  and  i/fov1rif<  the  power  of 
Jesus'  name? 

Then  for  us  also  the  Spirit  s[/*^ak<»  these  mighty  prom- 
ises: First,  *'an  open  door"  of  s^ryi^4»,  that  noro  can 
shut;  secondly,  a  part  in  the  glorious  translation  (.f  the 
bride  at  the  coming  of  the  Lord.  **I  will  keep  thee 
from  the  hour  of  temptation  that  is  coming  upon  all 
the  world,  to  try  them  that  dwell  on  the  face  of  the  whole 
earth";  thirdly,  a  place  of  p  rmanr  e  and  honor  in 
the  new  Jerusalem,  a  i:»art  in  the  Miiler.nial  kingdom 
of  our  Lord,  where  we  shall  stand,  as  pillars  in  His 
temple,  bearing  the  nnmc^  of  the  t\ew  Jerusalem,  and 
the  new  name  Jesus  (Christ,  identifying  us  with  Him 
in  His  personal  love  and  glor)    forever. 


0  hi 

glorioui 
ear,  le 
churche 


THE 

There 
that  the 
different 
ognized 
Church, 
ceans," 
OA\n  Isrf 
desolate. 
You  h^ 
Church  i 
"to  plea^ 
and  a  t 
powerful 
need  of  2 
reports  < 
♦'r^anizai 
deal  of  w 
it  is  thor* 
pority,  bii 
the  miser 
represent! 
knocking 
last  solen) 
ing  a /id   J 

seling  if:  U 
raiment  o 
il''uminati( 
I^ut  alas 
^^ia  pictur 


THE  SPIRIT'S  MESSAGE  TO  THE  CHURCHES      273 


to 


rs- 

and 

•  the 
In 

the 
lent 

r  oi" 

Irom- 

the 
tliee 
n   all 
'hole 
ir  in 
rdom 
His 
inul 
IHim 


O  ^K'loved,  in  view  of  this  high  calling  and  these 
glorious  truths,  let  us  be  true,  and  *'  he  that  hath  an 
ear,  let  him  lioar  what  the  Spirit  saith  unto  the 
churches. ' ' 

VII. 

thp:  spirit's  message  to  an  indifferent  church. 

There  is  something  awfully  suggestive  in  the  fact 
that  the  Church  of  the  Laodiccans  is  spoken  of  quite 
differently  from  all  the  others.  Even  Sardis  was  rec- 
ognized \s  His  Church;  but  this  last  Church  is  not  His 
Church,  but  theirs.  Tt  is  the  "church  of  the  Laodi- 
ccans," and  He  seems  to  say  to  it,  as  He  did  to  His 
own  Israel  of  old,  ''Behold  your  house  is  left  unto  you 
desolate." 

You  liave  not  wanted  me  to  control,  you  may  have  your 
Church  if  you  will.  The  very  name  T^aodiceans  means 
"to  please  the  peopU'."  )t  represents  a  popular  Church, 
and  a  time-serving  age.  It  is  it  very  h^rge,  wealthy, 
powerful  Churi'hj  it  is  rich,  increasr-tl  with  goods,  in 
need  of  nothing.  It  is  nlso  n  self -satisfied  Cliurch.  The 
reports  of  its  membership,  its  finances,  its  missionarj'^ 
<irganizations  are  very  flattering.  It  is  doing  a  great 
deal  of  work;  it  is  spending  a  great  deal  of  money,  and 
it  is  thoroughly  satisfli^d  with  its  own  progress  and  pnm- 
pcrity,  but  alas!  in  the  eyes  of  its  Lord,  it  is  "the  poor, 
the  miserable,  the  blitid.  and  the  naked  one."  He  is 
represented  as  eAcluded  from  its  interior,  and  standing 
knocking  at  its  door  as  a  strant:;er,  He  is  utteJ'lng  His 
last  solenni  warning  and  ap]>('al,  and  telling  of  chasten- 
ing and  judgment  about  to  come  upon  it.  He  is  coun- 
seling it  to  buy  of  Him  the  gold  of  true  faith,  the  white 
raiment  of  divine  holiness,  the  ej'e-salve  of  spiritual 
illumination. 

But  alas,  tlie  saddest  and  the  most  solemn  part  of  all 

this  picture  is,  that  it  represents  the  last  stage  of  visible 

i8 


274 


POWER  FROM   ON  HIGH 


Christianity,  the  Church  at  the  end  of  the  age  and  at 
the  coming  of  the  Lord! 

Beloved,  can  it  be  possible  that  the  Church  of  our 
fathers,  the  Church  of  the  r<;formers,  the  Church  of 
the  martyrs,  could  ever  become  such  a  Church?  Ah, 
ask  yourselves  did  not  the  Church  of  Paul  and  John 
become  the  apostasy  of  Rome? 

What  is  the  real  secret  of  all  this?  "  Thou  art  luke- 
warm, "^ — respectable  indifference;  the  same  cause  which 
led  to  the  rejection  of  Ephesus,  only  aggravated  and 
intensified;  the  want  of  heart;  the  want  of  love;  the 
want  of  enthusiasm;  the  want  of  Jesus  Himself  within. 
The  Church  that  has  lost  the  spirit  of  revival,  the  Church 
that  has  lost  the  simplicity  of  fervor,  the  Church  that 
looks  upon  religious  experience  as  sentimentalism,  fa- 
naticism, and  extravagance,  clothed  in  a  stately  respect- 
ability and  self-satisfied  complacency,  folds  her  arms, 
and  says,  **1  am  rich,  increased  with  goods,  and  have 
need  of  nothing,"  while  Jesus  is  standing  at  the  door, 
and  the  last  judgments  are  about  to  fall. 

And  now  the  Master  turns  from  the  Church  of  the 
Laodiceans,  and  His  last  message  is  not  to  the  Church, 
but  to  the  individuals  in  it,  who  are  willing  to  stand 
out  from  its  indifference,  and  to  be  spiritual  overcomers. 
**K  an  J  man  will  hear  my  voice,  and  open  the  door, 
I  will  come  in  to  him,  and  will  sup  with  him,  and  he 
with  Me."  "To  him  that  overcometh  will  I  grant  to 
sit  down  with  Me  in  M>  throne,  even  as  I  also  over- 
came, and  am  set  down  with  My  Father  in  His  throne." 

It  is  to  the  individual  the  promise  is  given.  Yes,  even 
if  the  Church  should  become  apostate,  one  by  one  we  can 
stand  truti  to  God,  and  still  may  win  our  crown. 

There  are  two  promises:  First,  we  must  receive  the 
Christ  within;  secondly,  we  shall  sit  down  with  Him 
upon  His  throne.  The  Prince  come;  to  us  now  in  dis- 
guise. Soon  He  will  come  in  all  His  glory  to  know  those 
who  have  stood  with  Him  in  these  days  of  trial  and 


f 


f 


f 


THE  SPIRIT'S  MESSAGE  TO  THE  CHURCHES      275 


over- 


I 


rejection.     Oh,   in   view  of  that   great  day,   God  help 
us  to  be  true! 

It  is  said  that  Ivan,  of  Russia,  used  sometimes  to 
disguise  himself  and  go  out  among  his  people  to  find 
out  their  true  character. 

One  night  he  went,  dressed  rs  a  beggar,  from  door 
to  door,  in  the  suburbs  of  Moscow,  and  asked  for  a 
night's  lodging.  He  was  refused  admittance  at  every 
house,  until  at  last  his  heart  sank  with  discouragement 
to  think  of  the  selfishness  of  his  people.  At  length, 
however,  he  knocked  at  a  door  where  he  was  gladly  ad- 
mitted. The  poor  man  invited  him  in,  offered  him  a 
crust  of  bread,  a  cup  of  water  and  a  bed  of  straw,  and 
then  said,  **I  am  sorry  I  cannot  do  more  for  you,  but 
my  wife  is  ill,  a  babe  has  just  been  given  her,  and  my 
attention  is  needed  for  them."  The  emperor  lay  down 
and  slept  the  sleep  of  a  contented  mind.  He  had  found 
a  true  heart.  In  the  morning  he  took  his  leave  with 
many  thanks. 

The  poor  man  forgot  all  about  it,  until  a  few  days 
later,  the  royal  chariot  drove  up  to  the  door,  and,  at- 
tended by  his  retinue,  the  emperor  stopped  before  the 
humble  home. 

The  poor  man  was  alarmed,  and  throwing  himself 
at  the  emperor's  feet,  he  asked  "What  have  I  done?" 

Ivan  lifted  him  up,  and  taking  both  his  hands,  he  said 
"Done?  you've  done  nothing  but  entertain  your  em- 
peror. It  was  I  that  lay  on  that  bed  of  straw;  it  was 
I  that  received  your  humble  but  hearty  hospitality, 
and  now  I  have  come  to  reward  you.  You  received  me 
in  disguise,  but  now  I  come  in  my  true  character  to  rec- 
ompense your  love.  Bring  hither  your  new-born  babe." 
And  when  the  child  was  brought  to  him,  he  said,  "You 
shall  call  him  after  me,  and  when  he  is  old  enough,  I 
will  educate  him  and  give  him  a  place  in  my  court  and 
service."  Giving  the  man  a  bag  of  gold  he  said,  "Use 
this  for  your  wife,  and  if  ever  you  have  need  of  any- 


276 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


thing,  don't  forget  to  call  upon  the  poor  tramp  that  slept 
the  other  night  in  that  corner." 

As  the  emperor  l(>i't  him,  that  poor  man  was  glad  in- 
deed that  he  had  welcomed  his  king  in  disguise.  The 
day  is  coming  when  amid  the  splendors  of  the  advent 
throne,  we  would  give  worlds  for  one  glance  of  recogni- 
tion from  that  royal  eye. 

And  we  shall  be  so  glad  when,  amid  the  myriads  of 
the  skies,  we  shall  see  Ilis  loving  smile  and  meet  Ilis 
recognition  and  hear  Him  say,  "Come,  ye  blessed  of 
my  Father,  sit  down  upon  My  throne.  You  were  not 
ashamed  of  Me  when  I  came  to  you  in  disguise.  Now 
I  have  come  to  confess  you  before  My  Father  and  Ilis 
holy  angels." 

*'IIe  that  hath  an  ear,  let  him  hear  what  the  Spirit 
saith  unto  the  churches." 


,t  slept 

lad  iii- 
,  The 
id  vent 
jcogni- 

ads  of 
3t  His 
sed  of 
re  not 
Now 
d  His 

Spirit 


r 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

THE  HOLY  SPIRir'S  LAST  MESSAGE. 
"The   Spirit  and  the  Bride  say,  Come."— Eev.  22:17. 

THIS  is  the  last  message  and  the  last  mention  of 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  the  New  Testament.  It  is 
usually  interpreted  as  an  appeal  to  the  sinner  to 
come  to  Christ,  but  it  is  really  a  prayer  on  the  part  of 
the  Spirit  and  the  Bride,  for  Christ  to  come  back  again, 
in  His  promised  second  advent.  It  is  answered  by  His 
gracious  message,  "Behold,  I  come  quickly,"  and  the 
response  of  the  apostle  and  the  church,  **Even  so, 
come  Lord  Jesus,  come  quickly.     Amen." 

It  is  very  striking  and  beautiful  that  the  last  word 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  this  great  Apocolypse,  which  is 
devoted  to  the  unfolding  of  the  Lord's  return,  should 
be  a  cry  of  prayer  to  Him  to  come.  The  great  business 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  since  Christ's  ascension  has  been  to 
prepare  for  His  return.  The  two  last  messages  of  our 
departing  ^Master,  recorded  in  the  first  ten  verses  of  the 
Acts  of  the  Apostles,  are  the  promise  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
and  the  promise  of  His  second  coming.  Between  these 
two  promises  lies  the  whole  Christian  age,  and  the 
object  of  the  first  is  to  fulfill  the  last. 

The  Holy  Ghost  has  now  unfolded  the  prophetic  vi- 
sion, and  as  He  closes  it  until  the  end  of  time,  He  pours 
out  one  ardent  prayer  and  unites  the  beloved  Bride  of 
Jesus  in  it,  "Come  Lord  Jesus."  And  then  He  sends 
the  message  forth  to  all  around  and  adds,  "let  him  thr.t 
heareth  say  come."  And,  turning  to  the  world  and  the 
sinner,  He  utters  the  last  message  of  inviting  mercy 
to  come  to  Jesus.  "Let  him  that  is  athirst  come,  and 
whosoever  will  let  him  take  the  water  of  life  freely." 

277 


278 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


This  passage  suggests  the  connection  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  with  the  Lord's  return, 

I.  The  Holy  Ghost  has  given  us  the  predietions  of 
Christ's  second  coming.  It  was  He  that  whispered  to 
Enoch  the  first  testimony  respecting  the  advent  in  ante- 
diluvian times.  It  was  He  that  gave  to  dying  Jacob 
his  vision  of  Shiloh's  reign.  It  was  He  that  revealed, 
even  to  double-hearted  Balaam,  the  glory  of  the 
latter  days,  until  he  ionged  to  have  a  part  in  it.  It  was 
He  that  enabled  Job  to  speak  of  the  day  when  in  his 
flesh  he  should  behold  his  living  Redeemer  and  see  Him 
for  himself  and  not  for  another.  It  was  He  who  inspired 
the  heart  of  David  to  sing  so  often  and  so  sublimely 
of  the  Prince  of  Peace,  whose  name  should  endure  for- 
ever and  whose  sway  should  reach  from  shore  to  shore. 
It  was  He  who  gave  to  Isaiah  his  prophetic  fire,  and 
revealed  to  Daniel  and  Zechariah  the  panorama  of  the 
ages.  Through  the  lips  of  the  IMaster  on  the  side  of 
Olivet  He  foretold  the  fall  of  Jeiiisalem  and  the  end 
of  the  Age. 

It  was  He  who  taught  the  early  Church  this  blessed 
hope,  as  the  comfort  of  her  sorrows  and  the  inspiration 
of  her  labors.  It  was  He  who  gave  to  the  first  apos- 
tolic council  at  Jerusalem  its  clear  outline  plan  of  the 
Christian  age,  and  revealed  to  Paul  the  great  apostasy, 
and  the  glorious  messages  of  the  advent  in  the  Epistles 
to  the  Corinthians  and  Thessalonians.  And  now  to  the 
last  of  the  apostles,  He  has  unfolded  with  a  clearness 
far  surpassing  all  former  visions  the  glorious  truth  of 
the  Lord's  return,  and  as  He  sums  it  all  up  He  turns 
neavenward  in  one  last  prayer,  ''Come,  Lord  Jesus, 
come  quickly." 

By  and  by,  when  we  read  this  book  in  the  light  of 
heaven,  we  shall  find  that  every  incident  and  detail  of 
the  Lord's  return  has  been  unfolded.  Much  of  it  we 
have  misunderstood;  much  of  it  may  remain  somewhat 
obscure  until  the  time  of  the  end,  but  nothing  has  been 


THE   HOLY   Sri HIT'S   LAST  MESSAGE 


279 


Holy 


left  unsaid  that  we  need  to  know  to  fit  us  for  the  moot- 
ing with  our  Lord.  The  Holy  Ghost  has  made  the  testi- 
mony clear  and  plain.  One  word  of  every  twenty-five 
of  these  New  Testament  Scriptures  is  about  this  great 
theme. 

He  is  a  very  foolish  man  who  reads  his  Bible  without 
seeing  it,  and  who  misses  the  benediction  pronounced 
in  this  very  book,  on  "him  that  readeth  and  on  them 
that  keep  the  words  of  the  prophecy  of  this  book." 

II.  The  Holy  Ghost  has  interpreted  and  illuminated 
the  prophetic  Scriptures. 

It  is  not  enough  to  have  the  prophetic  word,  we  need 
some  one  to  enable  us  to  understand  it. 

Daniel  uttered  these  advent  visions,  but  he  dimly 
comprehended  them,  and  was  told  to  seal  them  up  until 
the  time  of  the  end.  But  he  was  also  told  that,  as  the 
end  drew  near,  the  wise  should  understand,  and  this 
is  just  what  is  happening  today. 

The  most  remarkable  sign  that  we  are  in  the  last 
days  and  that  the  mystery  of  the  ages  is  about  to  be 
finished,  is  the  wondrous  light  which  the  Holy  Ghost 
has  shed  on  the  interpretation  of  prophecy  in  our  time. 

Mistakes  there  have  doubtless  been;  obscurities  still 
there  are ;  much  yet  remains  to  be  made  plain,  but  the 
great  landmarks  of  the  future  are  clear  and  plain,  and 
the  church  of  Christ  knows  enough  to  be  able  to  be 
true  to  her  trust  and  ready  for  the  coming  of  her  Lord. 

The  brightest  and  soundest  scholarship  of  the  age  is 
on  the  side  of  pre-millennial  truth.  The  light  of 
science  has  become  tributary  to  the  interpretation  of 
the  Holy  Scriptures,  and  the  truth  respecting  the  Lord 's 
coming  has  been  so  widely  published  and  so  simply  il- 
lustrated and  proclaimed,  that  no  earnest  Christian  to- 
day need  be  in  darkness  with  regard  to  that  day.  Nor 
need  the  most  illiterate  and  simple  disciple  of  Christ 
shrink  back  from  the  study  of  proi)hecy  because  it  is 
mysterious  and  obscure.     The  Holy  Ghost  will  make  it 


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plain,  and  will  bless  us  in  its  study,  as  we  eamestlj 
read  and  faithfully  keep  the  words  of  this  prophecy. 

III.  The  Holy  Ghost  is  preparing  for  the  Lord's 
coming  by  awakening  the  desire  and  expectation  of 
Christ's  return  in  the  hearts  of  His  dicipltjs. 

When  the  Lord  Jesus  was  about  to  come  to  earth  for 
the  first  time,  Ilis  faithful  people  were  waiting  for  re- 
demption and  for  the  consolation  of  Israel,  and  at  the 
proper  time,  they  were  there  to  welcome  Him.  It  needed 
no  special  note  of  invitation  to  bring  Simeon  and  Anna 
to  the  temple  when  the  infant  Jesus  was  to  be  presentea 
there;  but,  through  the  simple  and  unfailing  guidance 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  thay  were  both  on  time,  and  Simeon 
took  the  holy  Babe  iu  his  arms  and  blessed  Him,  and 
Anna  went  forth  from  that  joyful  scene,  woman-like, 
to  tell  of  His  coming  "to  all  that  waited  for  redemp- 
tion in  Jerusalem.*' 

And  so  will  it  be  at  the  last.  Christ's  Simeons  and 
Annas  will  be  waiting  too.  And  already  they  have 
caught  the  first  rays  of  dawn,  the  first  intuitions  of  the 
Bridegroom's   drawing  near. 

As  the  hour  draws  near  this  will  become  more  uni- 
form and  universal  among  the  littl<3  flock,  and  when  He 
appears  His  Bride  will  not  be  left  "in  darkness  that 
that  day  should  overtake  her  as  a  thief, ' '  but  she  will  be 
found  ready  and  waiting  to  go  forth  to  meet  Him. 

This  blessed  hope,  which  is  taking  possession  of  so 
many  of  our  hearts,  is  one  of  the  signs  of  our  time, 
and  its  sympathetic  throb  is  felt  even  among  the  votaries 
of  false  religion,  who,  with  an  instinct  that  they  cannot 
understand  or  explain,  are  also  looking  for  the  appear- 
ing of  some  great  One  in  the  present  generation. 

Sometimes  these  holy  intuitions  are  truer  and  more 
unerring  than  the  conclusions  of  our  science  and  philos- 
ophy. The  little  bird  makes  no  mistake  when,  following 
an  impulse  in  its  Utile  heart,  it  spreads  its  wings  on  the 
air  and  sails  away  to  southern  lands  as  winter  is  com- 


THE   HOLY  SPIRIT'S  LAST  MESSAGE 


281 


:f 


I  :: 


ing  on.     It  knows  that  the  springtime  is  there  and  it 
finds  it  true. 

^The  little  fellow  was  right  as  he  stood  holding  the 
string  of  his  kite  which  had  gone  far  out  of  view  in  the 
lofty  firmament,  when  the  boys  laughed  at  him  and  told 
him  it  was  gone,  who  answered  firmly,  **No;  'taint 
neither,  it's  all  right.    I  Lnow  it  'cause  I  feel  it  pull." 

Ah,  beloved,  can  you  feel  it  pull?  And,  although 
worldly  wisdom  may  scoff,  and  human  ambition  may 
plan  for  the  coming  generations,  and  the  seif-centered 
world  roll  on  around  its  little  axis,  yet  our  eyes  are 
upon  the  east,  and  our  hearts  tell  us  with  an  intuition 
that  we  know  is  true  that  the  coming  of  the  Lord  draweth 
nigh. 

It  is  the  blessed  Holy  Ghost.  Let  us  listen  to  His 
whisper;  let  us  catch  his  full  meaning;  let  us,  as  the 
day  draws  near,  be  found  "bending  ourselves  back," 
and  ''lifting  up  our  heads"  and,  like  the  bird  upon  the 
branch,  with  fluttering  wings  and  uplifted  eye  waiting 
for  the  signal  of  its  mate,  let  us  be  ready  at  His  earliest 
call  to  rise  to  meet  Him  in  the  air. 

IV.  The  Holy  Ghost  is  preparing  for  Christ's  re- 
turn by  the  spiritual  enrobing  of  His  children. 

The  call  is  going  forth.  ''The  marriage  of  the  Lamb 
is  come,  and  His  wife  hath  made  herself  ready;  and 
it  was  granted  to  her  that  she  should  be  arrayed  in  fine 
linen,  clean  and  bright,  the  fine  linen  is  the  righteous- 
ness of  the  saints." 

The  Holy  Ghost  is  preparing  a  people  today  for  the 
coming  of  Christ.  There  is  a  marked  movement  in  all 
sections  of  the  Christian  world  for  an  entire  consecration 
to  Christ,  that  we  may  receive  the  baptism  of  the  Holy 
Ghost   and   be  transformed  and  conformed  to   Christ. 

This  is  the  very  time  that  the  Bridegroom  is  near 
at  hand.  When  the  Bride  is  found  robed  and  ready, 
her  Lord  will  not  be  long  behind.  This  is  one  of  the 
special   religious  movements  of  our  time.     Call  it  by 


u 


282 


POWER  FEOM  ON  HIGH 


what  name  you  please,  sanctification,  the  second  bless- 
ing, the  higher  Christian  life,  the  baptism  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  entire  consecration, — it  is  the  call  of  God  today 
to  His  own  people,  and  it  is  the  precursor  of  the  Mas- 
ter's coming. 

Our  Lord's  beautiful  parables  of  the  wedding  robe 
and  the  ten  virgins  are  founded  on  this  great  truth,  the 
need  of  special  preparation  for  the  coming  of  the  Lord. 
In  the  former  parable  it  is  personal  holiness  that  is 
implied,  and  in  the  latter  the  indispensible  need  of  the 
baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Both  these  qualifications  are 
freely  given  in  the  grace  of  God.  To  the  Bride  it  is 
"granted  that  she  should  be  arrayed  in  linen,  clean 
and  bright."  She  does  not  have  to  make  her  oAvn  ap- 
\)arel  but  simply  to  put  on  the  beautiful  garments  of 
her  King,  and  like  Rebecca  of  old,  go  forth  arrayed  in 
the  robe  which  He  has  given,  and  covered  with  his 
veil  to  meet  Him  with  acceptance  at  His  coming. 

Beloved,  have  we  received  the  wedding  robe?  Have 
we  made  sure  of  the  oil  in  our  vessels  with  our  lamps? 
Are  we  arrayed  in  raiment  not  only  "clean"  but  also 
"bright,"  not  only  without  the  stain  of  sin,  but  with 
all  the  beauty  and  glory  of  the  priestly  garments? 
There  is  an  inner  and  an  outer  robe.  The  inner  robe 
must  be  spotless,  the  outer  must  be  glorious.  This  is 
why  the  Holy  Ghost  is  leading  us  through  the  discipline 
of  life. 

The  word  for  "white"  here  in  Revelation  means 
liright,  and  it  is  the  same  word  used  about  the  trans- 
figuration garments  of  our  Lord.  Beloved,  let  us  put 
on  the  white  robei  and  the  beautiful  garments,  and, 
through  the  grace  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  be  robed  and 
ready  for  His  coming. 

V.  The  Holy  Ghost  gives  the  earnest  of  the  resur- 
rection. 

We  have  already  referred  to  this  in  former  chapters, 
in  connection  with  the  physical  life  of  Christ  manifested 


THE   HOLY  SPIEIT'S  LAST  MESSAGE 


283 


in  the  believer  through  the  Holy  Ghost.  This  is  an 
anticipation  of  the  resurrection  life.  This  is  a  foretaste 
and  first  fruit  of  the  physical  glory  which  is  awaiting 
us  at  his  coming. 

Divine  healing,  rightly  understood,  is  just  the  life 
of  Jesus  Christ  in  our  mortal  flesh  and  a  foretaste  of 
the  resurrection.  It  is  the  work  of  the  Holy  Ghost  to 
"quicken  our  mortal  body"  as  He  dwelleth  in  us.  Be- 
loved, do  we  'w  ,v  this  supernatural  life?  And  are  we 
thus  already  ta.,ting  the  fountain  of  immortality  which 
is  to  supply  our  life  eternally  from  its  exhaustlcss 
spring  ? 

VI.  The  Holy  Ghost  is  working  in  the  providence  of 
God  among  the  nations,  to  prepare  for  the  coming  of 
of  Christ. 

The  wonderful  events  of  our  time  are  the  beginning 
of  those  overturnings  which  are  to  bring  in  the  kingdom 
of  Christ  and  His  millennial  reign.  The  Ancient  of  Days 
is  already  working  among  the  nations,  and  through  the 
power  of  the  Spirit  of  God  is  breaking  down  the  bar- 
riers and  opening  up  the  highway  for  Christ's  return. 
The  same  Holy  Ghost  that  of  old  touched  the  hearts  of 
heathen  kings  and  made  them  God's  instruments  in 
accomplishing  His  purpose,  is  calling  out  today  the 
various  providential  agencies  which  are  but  part  of 
God's  plan  for  the  approaching  end  of  the  age.  Surely, 
the  extraordinary  events  that  are  so  rapidly  happening 
around  us  in  every  quarter  of  the  globe  are  full  of  por- 
tentous meaning. 

The  wonderful  progress  of  knowledge,  the  running 
to  and  fro  of  men,  with  their  coranercial  activities  and 
their  methods  of  transportation  and  communication  by 
land  and  sea,  wars  and  rumors  of  wars  disturbing  the 
whole  political  realm,  revolutions  and  upheavals  of  so- 
ciety and  political  institutions — all  these  are  full  of 
meaning  and  promise,  and  throagh  them  all  moves  the 
steadfast  purpose  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  whose  "eyes  run 


284 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


to  and  fro  throughout  the  whole  earth, ' '  and  whose  hand 
is  moving  men  to  the  fulfillment  of  His  higher  will. 

VII.  The  Holy  Ghost  is  enabling  and  sending  forth 
the  disciples  of  Christ  to  fulfill  their  great  trust  in 
witnessing  for  Christ  and  evangelizing  the  world. 

This  is  His  greatest  work  of  preparation  for  the  com- 
ing of  Christ.  In  direct  connection  with  the  promise 
of  the  Spirit  is  the  great  commission,  "Ye  shall  receive 
the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  coming  upon  you,  and  ye 
shall  be  witnesses  unto  Me,  .  .  .  unto  the  uttermost  part 
of  the  earth." 

And  so  today  we  witness  the  mighty  worli^ngs  of  the 
Holy  Gho't  in  sending  out  the  message  of  the  gospel 
to  the  negle  ted  at  home  and  the  heathen  abroad.  The 
Holy  Spin  I  is  more  than  a  delightful  sentiment  in  the 
believer's  heart.  He  is  a  mighty  influence  of  practical, 
missionary  zeal  and  world-wide  evangelization,  and  the 
heart  in  which  He  is  saying,  "Come  Lord  Jesus,  come 
quickly,"  will  always  be  heard  crying,  "Let  him  that 
is  athirst  come,  and  whosoever  will,  let  him  take  the 
water  of  life  freely." 

Beloved,  if  we  are  truly  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost 
and  longing  for  the  coming  of  Christ,  we  shall  be  active 
witnesses  and  workers  in  preparing  for  Him.  We  shall 
be  found  faithful  to  our  trust  wherever  God  has  placed 
us.  We  will  be  soul-winners  at  home,  and  if  we  can- 
not go  abroad  we  will  help  others  to  go  and  give  the 
gospel  quickly  to  all  the  vv^orld. 

How  much  of  our  religious  life  is  comfortable  senti- 
mentalism,  taking  the  pleasant  part,  enjoying  the  self- 
ish luxury,  doing  as  much  Christian  work  as  is  agree- 
able, and  yet  knowing  little  or  nothing  of  the  ceaseless 
self-sacrificing  and  intense  devotion  of  the  T^ord  Jesu!5 
Christ  to  finish  His  v/ork  and  bring  this  revolted  world 
back  to  His  Father! 

0,  beloved,  are  we  wholly  in  earnest?  Have  we,  too, 
"a  baptism  to  be  baptized  with,  and  are  we  straitened 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT'S  LAST  MESSAGE 


285 


until  it  be  accomplished?"  Are  we  going  forth  *'as 
much  as  lieth  in  us"  to  give  the  gospel  of  the  Kingdom 
to  all  nations  that  the  end  may  speedily  come? 

Perhaps,  dear  brother,  as  you  read  these  lines,  God 
may  be  calling  you  to  go  forth  and  call  home  the  lost 
disciple  who  shall  complete  the  number  of  the  Bride 
and  then  bring  back  our  adorable  Kedeemer. 

Nay,  perhaps,  dear  sinner,  as  you  read  these  lines, 
ycu  may  be  the  soul  for  whom  Christ  is  waiting  to  com- 
plete His  glorious  Bride,  as  He  calls,  **  Whosoever  will 
let  him  take  tli-e  water  of  life  freely." 

There  are  three  little  words  that  seem  sweetly  linked 
together  here.  The  first  is  "come.  Lord  Jesus,"  that  is 
the  Spirit's  cry,  and  that  will  be  the  cry  of  every  one 
who  is  filled  with  the  Spirit.  ''Let  him  that  heareth 
say,  Come." 

The  second  is,  the  word,  ''Go."  If  we  are  truly  say- 
ing '^come.  Lord  Jesus,"  we  will  ©o  with  the  Gospel 
of  salvation  to  the  lost  at  home  and  the  heathen  abroad. 
And  the  third  is  the  same  word,  "come"  again.  For 
this  will  be  our  message,  as  it  is  the  Spirit's,  to  a  lost 
and  dying  world.  "Come  to  Jesus."  "Let  him  that 
is  athirst  come,  and  whosoever  will,  let  him  take  the 
water  of  life  freely." 

It  is  said  that  when  Queen  Victoria  first  visited  Scot- 
land, it  was  arranged  that  the  tidings  of  her  arrival 
should  be  signalled  from  Edinburgh,  and  by  beacons 
on  the  mountain  tops  should  be  flashed  all  over  the 
land  until  it  reached  from  Leith  to  Stirling,  and  Stirling 
to  Inverness,  and  Inverness  to  distant  Caithness,  and 
from  mountain  to  mountain,  tho  beacon  blazed  forth 
its  joyful  welcome  "The  Queen  has  come." 

So  this  text  seems  to  be  a  cry  from  the  watchtower. 
Oh,  let  us  haste  to  plant  the  watch  fires  on  all  the  moun- 
tain tops  of  earth;  let  us  station  the  watchmen  for  the 
morning;  let  us  as  make  ready  for  the  beacon  blaze; 
and,  some  sweet  morn,  the  nearest  watcher  shall  catch 


286 


POVVEK  FROM  ON  HIGH 


the  signal,  flash  it  from  post  to  post,  and  tower  to  tower, 
and  hind  to  land,  till  all  around  the  globe  he  that  heareth 
.«»hall  say  "Come,"  and  the  shout  shall  go  up  from  the 
meeting  ranks  of  earth  and  heaven,  "the  lord  has 
COME."    Even  so  come  lord  jesus,  come  quickly. 

Amen. 


(Printed  in  the  United  States  of  America.} 


I! 


Sfe, 
I' 


